To Love Again
by Britz Bitz Candy
Summary: A romantic-comedy fic featuring Chichiri and a character I came up with. This story is back in business after 9 months of writers block, baby!
1. Mysterious Girl

Yes, yes....it IS true....I have made some minor changes to the  
current story (fixed typos, added the song thing etc) and I am  
actually working on a chapter 6! After 9 TERRIBLE MONTHS of writers  
block, I am finally back on track minna-san! ^_^v Be proud of me!  
I know I am. So anyway, be patient and be content with what's here  
for now please! I love you all!  
Ja~!  
Kasa no Miko  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
There's something about the look in your eyes.....  
Something I noticed when the light was just right.....  
It reminded me twice that I was alive.....  
And it reminded me you are so worth the fight.....  
  
Your biggest fear will be the rescue of you.....  
Strange how it turns out that way, yeah.....  
  
Could you show me, dear.....  
Something I'm not seeing....  
Something infinately interesting.....  
  
Lyrics: Echo by Incubus  
  
  
  
Chichiri slowly walked behind the group of Miaka, Tamahome, Nuriko, Mitsukake, and Tasuki. They were on the search for the remaining Suzaku Seishi. The Emperor, Hotohori was unable to escape his duties in the palace, so he had sent out Chichiri, Tamahome, and Nuriko, along with Suzaku no Miko to find the remaining seishi. Their journey had been rough. Genrou, the bandit had turned out to be the Suzaku Seishi, Tasuki. That was after he had told them that the former bandit leader was Tasuki, and that he was dead. Then they had found Mitsukake, the healer, who had been less than willing to help at first when Miaka had fallen ill. And that left one Suzaku Seishi to be found; The one known as Chiriko.  
Miaka happily hung off of Tamahome's arm. She looked back at Chichiri and smiled. "Chichiri~! If you don't hurry, we'll never find the 7th seishi!"  
Chichiri smiled. "Hai, Miaka-san, no da!" Chichiri said, quickening his pace. His mask may have been smiling, but inside, he was concerned. He could sense something about to happen, but he wasn't sure what is was. And somehow he knew finding Chiriko wouldn't be as easy as the optimistic Suzaku no Miko anticipated.  
They all arrived in a small town later that afternoon. Worn out from an entire day's walking, they all agreed it would be best to stay the night.   
They checked into a nice little inn at the edge of town and had supper soon after. At least, Miaka had supper....the rest had what they could get....  
  
[sweatdrop] But anyway, the author is getting off track....  
  
As they sat around the table, the owners panicked while the Seishi and Suzaku no Miko ate and talked.   
Tamahome happily ate his dinner beside Miaka. "Neeeeeeeee, I wonder if this place has some bad guys for me to get rid of! Maybe I can make a few bucks!"  
Tasuki looked up from his own plate. "Yer a damn greedy bastard, ya know that?"  
Tamhome glared at him. --;; "I vote Tasuki for staying on guard tonight. Any objections?"  
..............silence..............  
"Shimatta! Not a single one of ya wanna stand up fer me???"  
Miaka looked at him with those big eyes of hers that somehow charmed almost any man into doing her bidding. "Pleeeeeeeeeease Tasuki-chan?" she asked him.  
Tasuki grumbled something unintelligible, and then raised his voice back to normal level. "Fine, fine.....but only because yer the Miko...."  
Miaka nearly leapt over the table to hug him. "Arigatoooooooooo!"  
"Yeah, yeah....who's on watch with me?"  
Before Chichiri even thought about it, he answered. "I will, no da," he said, wondering why he had volunteered in the first place. But he couldn't take it back now, so he said nothing else.  
After dinner, the others went up to their rooms, while Chichiri and Tasuki went outside to stand guard. The two sat under the roof in front of the inn as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains in the distance.   
Tasuki slumped against the wall and stared longingly at the mountains. "Hn. Wish I were home right now." he sighed whistfully. "But, we gotta protect the miko, ne?" he said a bit more cheerfully.  
"Hai, no da!" Chichiri said. "It's our duty as Suzaku Shichi Seishi." Chichiri looked up at the sky. "Hm...looks like there's going to be a storm tonight, no da." He commented looking at the black clouds approaching in the sky.  
  
* * *  
  
A single traveler quietly trekked through the dark woods. "Why do they have to make these places so creepy," she muttered to herself. Being alone in the woods this close to dark didn't exactly thrill her. Thunder rumbled somewhere off in the distance. "Shimatta!" She cursed. "Grrr! Michiko, Yoshiomo, where are you when I need you?!" she asked kicking the root of a tree, then recoiling in pain. "They're at home, where you're supposed to be." she answered herself. She sighed. "Hn. I haven't seen Yoshiomo's bad hair or heard Michiko's voice lecturing me in months. I really should hurry home." she commented. Seconds later, another low, threatening rumble filled the air. "Maybe if I make good time I can beat the rain..."   
Unfortunately, she was wrong. An hour later, it was dark and the storm had caught up with her. The thunder boomed and the lightning lit up the sky in fantastic displays. In fact, she might have enjoyed it, had she not been caught in the middle of that creepy forest when it had started pouring.   
She was nearly out of the woods when, without warning, she lost her footing in some newly formed mud. She groped blindly for something to grab onto, but her hand only grasped air. She screamed as she slid down the bank and plummeted into the darkness of the forest. An echoing cry for help pierced through the air....and then there was silence.  
  
  
* * *  
  
Soon the rain began falling down. The two Seishi on watch were under the shelter of the inn's porch. All of a sudden, Chichiri heard something. The sound was shrill and high pitched, yet nearly drowned out by the pounding rain.  
"TASUKETEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" came a frantic female voice, echoing from somewhere in the distance.  
"Ne, Tasuki, did you hear that, no da?" Chichiri asked.  
"Hear what?" Tasuki replied raising an eyebrow.  
"That scream. It came from somewhere in that direction, I think, na no da...." he said pointing to the forest they had just come through earlier that day.  
Tasuki shrugged. "All I heard was thunder."  
"I'm going to go check it out, no da. Wait here, I'll be back soon, na no da."  
"OI! WHAT'RE YA DOIN'!? We're supposed to be on guard! You know, protect the Miko? COME BACK HERE! BAKAAAAAAA!!!!!" Came Tasuki's frusterated voice.  
"I'll be right back, na no da!" Chichiri called over his shoulder as he ran. The inn they were at was close to the edge of town, so it wasn't long before Chichiri was in the woods.   
He followed the path for 15 minutes without seeing a trace of human life, but he could sense that there was someone out there. After walking for a few more minutes, Chichiri found fresh footprints in the mud. He saw where the person had lost their footing and fallen down the steep, muddy bank.  
Chichiri carefully made his way down the bank to find a young girl, perhaps the same age as Miaka. She was lying on the ground, barely conscious, and seemed unable to move her left leg.   
Chichiri bent down. "Daijobu, no da?" he asked her.  
The girl nodded. "I'm fine, I think.....my leg, however, is not," she told him. "I've tried to get up, but I can't....and I feel kinda dizzy......"   
"Don't worry, no da. I'll make sure you get to town safely," he reassured her.  
She nodded and smiled weakly. "A...arigato...that's very kind of you...."  
Chichiri took her in his arms and stood up. "My name is Chichiri, no da." he said told her. "And who are you, na no da?"  
She lifted her head a bit so she could see his face. She squinted, his face was blurred... "My....my name is...." her head fell to rest on his shoulder, she was unconscious.  
As Chichiri walked, her head rested limply on his shoulder, bobbing with every step he took. The shoulder her head was on felt unusually warm....Chichiri looked down and noticed there was blood on his shirt. In addition to her leg, she also had a head injury, and she was loosing blood.   
Chichiri stopped for a moment and ripped a strip of his shirt to bandage the girl's head. At this point, Chichiri was thoroughly soaked, and so was the girl. His pace became a little faster, though he still took careful notice of where he was walking, to prevent any injuries to himself or further injuries to the girl.  
Finally, Chichiri arrived back at the inn. "Tasuki, no da, I hope you can handle watch on your own for a while. This girl is badly injured, na no da. I'll come back down as soon as I can." He said walking right past him and in to the inn.  
Tasuki didn't argue, but shook his head muttering to himself about how useless women were and how they're more trouble than they're worth....  
  
* * *  
  
Nuriko walked into the girl's room with a bowl full of water and a cloth. He placed the bowl on the table, wrung the cloth out and placed it on the girl's head. Nuriko shook his head. She was only a child and shouldnt've been traveling alone. The girl wrinkled her nose and began to move restlessly under the covers. Nuriko's eyes went wide and grinned. "Chichiri! Chichiriiiiiiiii! The girl you found is waking up!!!!!!" He yelled as he ran out of the room. Nuriko kept running and nearly ran over Chichiri when he did find him. "She's waking up! She's finally awaaaaaake!"  
Chichiri walked to the girl's room and entered with Nuriko behind him. He walked to the edge of her bed and sat down. "Are you alright, no da....?" he asked her.  
The girl distantly heard a voice talking to her. She slowly opened her eyes, but nothing   
was in focus. There was someone sitting beside her....a guy......a guy with spiky hair. Her eyes widened. "Yo-Yoshiomo?" she asked. Chichiri was about to answer her, but sat up and hugged him. "Yoshiomo, I'm so glad to see you!" she cried. "I had a horrible dream! I was so scared.....but I'll be fine now. I'm happy to be back home," she said hugging him tighter.  
Nuriko giggled. "Ne, Chichiri, looks like you have a fan."  
"Chi-Chichiri?" the girl asked. She looked up at the person she was clinging to.  
SD Chichiri sweatdropped and looked back at her. "Da! Ohayo, my name is Chichiri, no da! Er....what's your name, no da?"  
The girl blushed brightly. "Gomen nasai. I thought you were a friend of mine..." She mumbled. "My name is Taasu Seika."  
"The nameless girl finally has a name." Nuriko commented. "You've been asleep for three days now, and very sick too, you had a bad fever because of how soaked you were." He said as he leaned against the wall. "You're lucky Chichiri found you, and Mitsukake was able to stop the bleeding."  
Just then, Tasuki, Tamahome and Miaka walked in. Tasuki smirked. "So the troublesome girl finally woke up?"  
The girl frowned at the the man in the trench coat. "No, I'm talking in my sleep," she said sarcastically. "And I'm not troublesome, and my name isn't 'girl', it's Seika." She shifted her weight and a sharp pain went through her left leg, making her wince. "Now I remember what happened....It was raining and I slipped in the mud.....I fell down a bank and......I hurt my leg and hit my head.....and you....you saved me," she said, looking at Chichiri, "But....but where am I now.....?"  
Miaka stepped forward. "In a small inn, just outside of the woods. We postponed out travels because we were worried about you." she said with a smile. "Are you alright?"  
"You....you....oh, I'm so sorry to have delayed you!" she pushed the covers off her legs and sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm very sorry, I'll leave now. I'll be fine." she said. She tried to stand up, but winced at the pain when she put pressure on her injured leg. "Let me rephrase that. After a bottle of alcohol or seven, I'll be just fine....."  
Nuriko shook his head. "Don't be foolish. You're still too weak to go anywhere."  
Tasuki chuckled. "The world needs more women like you. Maybe it won't be so hard to get along with ya until we all leave after all."  
She smiled. "Why, thank you."  
"Yeah, yer not the whiny type. I mean, yer pretty though to try to stand up with an injury like that. So it'll be easy to get along with ya 'cause I can treat ya like a boy!" Tasuki laughed.  
Seika's eyebrow twitched a few times. She rolled up her sleeve and punched Tasuki into the nearest wall in a very lady-like manner. "JERK!!!!!!!"  
Tamahome laughed. "It's not smart to be rude to total strangers, Tasuki."  
"I-itaiiiiiii~! She is a boy!" Tasuki said. Eyebrow still twitching, Seika proceeded to pick up the nearest object (Chichiri) and throw it at Tasuki.  
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" flying SD Chichiri yelled. He then landed on SD Tasuki, who nicely cushioned his fall. Chichiri flashed the victory sign. "Arigato Tasuki, no da!"  
Tasuki was now reduced to a swirly-eyed SD mass of Seishi. "No problem Chichiri......."  
"Eh.....gomen nasai Chichiri-san.....I got a little carried away...." Seika said when she had calmed down a bit.   
Chichiri smiled. "Daijobu, no da!"  
"And I suppose I'm sorry for punching you too.........." Seika said staring at a twitching SD seishi. She turned to everyone else. "Minna, I-I really don't know how to thank you. To most people, a stranger's life is insignificant, they wouldn't care if I died...." tears began to roll down her face, "but you saved me and took care of me for three days already, and now you're offering to stay here with me until I'm healthy again. I-I don't have much money," she said, reaching for a bag of coins, "but take it. Take it all."   
Tamahome began to reach for it, but Miaka smacked his hand out of the way.  
Miaka shook her head. "We don't need your money, keep it." she told Seika.   
Nuriko grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes. "Hush. Your face looks much prettier   
without tears on it. And keep your money. When we send you off again, you'll need it, your clothes were completely ruined, so you'll need new ones, until then, Miaka-san is willing to let you borrow some of hers."  
"Arigato," she said. "You people don't even know me, but you're still so kind. That's very admirable."  
"Now lay back down," Nuriko told her. "You're still weak and need rest. C'mon minna, out," Nuriko said as he herded the group of people out of the room. "We'll bring you dinner when it's ready."  
  
* * *  
  
"She's right ya know." Tasuki said once they were outside.  
Nuriko looked at him. "Right about what?"  
"We don't know her. She could be a spy for Seiryuu no Miko!"  
Nuriko rolled his eyes. "Does she really look like the type? She was so sweet, and on top of that she's injured, if she tries anything, she's at a disadvantage."  
"Ya can't trust women, not a single one of 'em!"  
"She's harmless, no da." Chichiri said.  
"Hn. To you, maybe." He replied. "To me she's a major health hazard."  
  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night Nuriko and Miaka brought the Seika her dinner. She was very grateful, as she hadn't eaten in three days.  
[Starry-eyed] "F-foooooooooooooodddddd!!!!!! ARIGATOOOOOOO! CHOW TIME!" Seika dug in, showing off her *ahem* Miaka-like manners. Five minutes later, she had cleaned off the entire platter of food they had brought her.  
^-^ "Arigato Nuriko-san, Miaka-san! I was really hungry!"   
O.o "No kidding...." Nuriko said.  
"Since you'll probably want to leave the room, we're going to make you a pair of crutches. That way, you'll be free to walk around without help."  
Almost immediately, Seika protested. "No! I can't favor my leg just because I injured it! If I do that, it'll become weak! I'll walk on it normally, just as I would if I hadn't injured it!" she said determinedly.  
Nuriko and Miaka were taken aback by this. "That's very courageous of you," Nuriko told her, "But it may only make it worse."  
"No, I'll be okay. I've held you up long enough, and I need to get going myself. I have a mission to finish."   
Miaka tilted her head to the side. "Mission? What kind of mission?" she asked curiously.  
"I'm not really sure myself." Seika replied. "I was told in a dream a few months ago to seek out Suzaku no Miko." Miaka's eyes widened, but Seika didn't notice. "I was told that Suzaku no Miko would need my help, with what, I'm not quite sure though." she continued. "I am to serve Miko until the summoning of Suzaku, and do whatever she says, to be her tsukebito. And when I find her, I will do that. I can't go home until my Suzaku is summoned. And so, here I am." She finished. She looked at the expressions on Miaka and Nuriko's faces. She frowned. "A-ano....did I say something wrong?" she asked.  
Miaka shook her head. "No, it's nothing....it's just that....Suzaku no Miko....she's me."   
"Na-nani....? Suzaku no Miko....you....you mean I finally found you!? Miko-sama! I'm so happy!!!!!!! After you call Suzaku, I can go back home! Please! I'm here to serve you with anything you need!!!!" she cried, throwing her arms around Miaka, who was standing at the side of the bed.  
^^;; "Uh, arigato....I think...." Miaka replied.  
Nuriko sweatdropped. "Ano...what just happened here???"   
Miaka smiled. "We just ended up with a new travelling companion, I think." she replied.  
Seika's eyes widened. "Really? So you will take me with you? Thank you Miko-sama!!!!!!"  
Nuriko smiled. "I think we'll leave now, you're a little too excited. Calm down and get some sleep. I'll take you to the market for new clothes in the morning."  
Seika nodded. ^^ "Hai! See you tomorrow!" she yelled as Nuriko and Miaka left. She smiled and fell back onto the pillows. "Tomorrow....tomorrow is one day closer until I can go home...." Seika closed her eyes and, after a while, drifted off into a happy dream.  
  
* * *   
  
Downstairs.......  
  
Tasuki spit out his drink when Miaka made her announcement. "YOU TOLD HER WHAT!??? THAT GIRL IS DANGEROUS!!!!!!!! NO WAY CAN WE TAKE HER WITH US!!!!!!!"  
Tamahome smirked. "Heh. Dangerous to you maybe. But we don't really need her do we? I mean, we're almost ready to call Suzaku. "   
"I know, but I couldn't say no to her. I understand how she feels." Miaka explained. "She was told she couldn't return home until Suzaku is summoned. And maybe we will need her help. You never know, right?"  
"I suppose you're right." Tama replied. "But how do you know she was telling the truth?"  
"The look in her eyes. She was telling the truth, I just know it."   
Nuriko nodded. "She was ecstatic to find Miko," he smiled, "You know the look in a child's eyes when he receives a gift? It was like that."  
"But....why is she needed?" Mitsukake asked. "Miko has seven seishi to protect her....."  
Chichiri was silent. Secretly he was happy that she would be coming along, though he wasnt sure why...probably because he was still a bit worried about her. "Prehaps.....prehaps she's not supposed to protect Miko, no da." Chichiri suggested. "Prehaps she supposed to be more like a companion....a friend, na no da."  
"A friend? But we're Miko's friends, as well as her protecters." Nuriko said.  
"Hai, but we're all guys, no da. Even you Nuriko... it's not the same for her as having another female around...am I right, Miaka, no da?"  
"Well, yeah...I guess...."  
Nuriko's went SD and his eyes got big and watery. "I-I thought there wasn't anythiiiiinnng you couldn't tell me! Miaaaaaakaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!"  
Miaka sweatdropped. "Eh, gomen Nuriko! Gomen!"  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Seika woke up to knocking on her door. "Come in!" she called. Nuriko entered the room. ^^ "Time to go shopping for your new clothes!" He said cheerfully. "Are you sure your leg will be alright?" he asked concernedly.   
"Hai, I should be fine!" She said as she sat on her bed and put her hair up into pigtails. "Besides, I haven't tried since yesterday. You never know unless you try, right?" she said cheerfully.  
Nuriko smiled. "I guess you're right. You seem to be a very wise girl for your age."  
"Arigato, Nuriko-san." She said as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "Here goes nothing." she remarked. She gingerly put one foot on the ground, then, slowly and carefully placed the other one on the ground, making sure to put most of her weight on her right leg. She winced a bit, but she smiled at Nuriko as she took each tiny step. Finally she made it to where Nuriko was standing. "See, I'm fine."   
Seika was ecstatic when they left the room. Nuriko helped her down the stairs to where the others were.  
Seika giggled. "So this is what the rest of the inn looks like!" She said. "Hi minna-san!" she said adressing Miko and the rest of her seishi. "Nuriko-san and I are going shopping."  
Tasuki's eye twitched. "The gay-boy is takin her shopping now???"  
Everyone turned to Seika waiting for her reaction to this. Seika blinked. "What? Why are you all staring at me like that way?" she asked innocently.  
"Er...you aren't surprised at what Tasuki just said?" Nuriko asked.  
Seika looked at Nuriko. She shrugged. "Surpised? No way, I knew yesterday."  
Everyone sweatdropped. "Er....how...did....you......?" Miaka trailed off.  
Seika shrugged. "I dunno...I just knew. No offence Nuriko." she replied. ^^ "But anyway, aren't we supposed to go supposed to go shopping Nuriko-san?"  
"H-hai..." Nuriko replied. "See you later minna." He said as he helped Seika out the door.  
Tama shook his head. "That girl is incredibly strange."  
Everyone nodded. "Hai."  
  
* * *  
  
Not one, not two, but THREE hours later, Nuriko and Seika returned to the inn. "Now, you wait out here, and I'll get everyone to come outside!" Nuriko said. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!"  
Tasuki looked up as Nuriko calmly walked in. "So, where's the brat?"  
"She's waiting for us outside. C'mon minna, let's check out and get going. If we leave now, we can make it to the next town before dark."  
Everyone checked out and went outside. Seika was there leaning against a tree trunk.   
"Holy shit! Th-that's not the same little girl that left here this mornin....no way!" Tasuki stammered.  
Seika smirked. "So, does that mean you like it?" she asked. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at everyone. "Ohayo."   
Instead of the pajamas and pigtails, she was now wearing a strapless black shirt, matching black pants and boots, a blue daimond-cut waist garment held in place with a red belt, a white skirt with slits all the way up the sides overtop of the pants, and a black beaded necklace. Instead of the pigtails that had been in her hair that morining, it was down and blowing freely in the soft breeze. A single flower hairpin decorated her hair.  
Chichiri stood there breathless. It looked as if she had become three years older in the past three hours. He hadn't really seen her as anything other than a little girl until now, though the fact was that she was at least the same age, if not older than Miaka. He noticed the hair pin. Hn. Just like that time.... he thought. ::Don't even think about it.:: he told himself. ::You don't know her, and the chance that it could happen again....but I'd know better this time....::  
Seika looked from one expression to the next and sweatdropped. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a little kid, ya know." She crossed her arms. "And Nuriko said I looked very nice."  
......Silence.......  
^^ "Well," Miaka said, breaking the silence, "Let's get moving, we've got a long way to go, ne?"   
"Anywhere you wanna go, I'll go Miko-sama!" Seika said cheerfully.  
"Then it's settled!" Miaka said. "C'mon! Hurry up!" Miaka said running down the street through town. Seika and the Suzaku Seishi followed close behind her.  
  
* * *  
  
Keiske sat in the room in the Libraray. "Suzaku no Miko, her tsukebito, and her Seishi left the town they had been in for the past week, to continue their jounery, and find the Suzaku Seishi Chiriko."  
  
  
  
Finding my way back to sanity again....  
Dont wanna really know what I'm gonna do when I get there...  
Take a breath and hold on tight.....  
Spin 'round one more time.....  
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace....  
  
'Cause I am hanging on every word you say....  
And even if you dont wanna speak tonight, that's all right, all right with me....  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside heavens door....  
And listen to you breathing, that's where I wanna be...yeah.....  
  
Where I wanna be......  
  
Lyrics: Breathing by Lifehouse 


	2. Two Days in the City

There's something about the look in your eyes.....  
Something I noticed when the light was just right.....  
It reminded me twice that I was alive.....  
And it reminded me you are so worth the fight.....  
  
Your biggest fear will be the rescue of you.....  
Strange how it turns out that way, yeah.....  
  
Could you show me, dear.....  
Something I'm not seeing....  
Something infinately interesting.....  
  
Lyrics: Echo by Incubus  
  
  
  
A procession of people trekked through the forest as the midday sun beat down upon the land. Under the shade of the trees, the temperature wasn't too bad, and the atmosphere around the little group was cheerful. Tasuki was talking to Chichiri and Nuriko about something, Miaka was glued to Tamahome as usual, and Mitsukake happily pet Tama-neko, who was perched on his shoulder.  
Seika was at the back, due to her injury. She took each step with care, trying not to step rocks and tree roots. She found herself staring absent mindedly at the back of Chichiri's head. She smirked. ::His hair is as blue as the clear sky today.:: she thought. ::Total contrast to my hair....:: she thought. Her own dark brown hair was blowing freely in the breeze. ::It's a really beautiful color...:: Seika shook her head. ::Baka. You're becoming infatuated with the back of someone's head...::  
Suddenly Chichiri turned around, a look of concern on his face. "Is your leg still alright, no da?" he asked.  
Seika froze in her steps and blushed a bright red. ^^;; "Uh huh! Don't worry, I'm fine." ::What are you doing? Blushing!? Stop that! AHOU!::  
Seika continued walking behind the rest of the group. ::Hn. I don't appreciate myself calling me a moron.:: -.-;   
  
Author's Note: WHAT?!?!?! If anyone can interpret that last sentence, please let me know...so I can get you mental help....  
  
She reflected as walked. ::Why the hell was I blushing anyway...? I'm going crazy....::   
  
Around 2:00, the group stopped in a clearing for lunch. The field was green and beautiful, mixed in with the tall grass were numerous types of fragrant and colorful wildflowers.   
Sieka was lying in the grass with her eyes closed. She smiled at the warm sunshine on her face, and the fragrance of flowers that was all around her. She sat up and watched as Tamahome gave Miaka a bouquet of the brightly colored flowers. Miaka's face lit up as took them from his hands. ::Awww...they're so cute....::  
"OI! Warugaki-chan! Aren't you hungry???" Tasuki yelled breaking the peaceful silence.  
"Yeah, I coming." she called. "AND I'M NOT A BRAT YOU FUCKIN' JERK!!!"  
"WELL I'M NOT A JERK YA FUCKIN' BRAT!" Tasuki yelled back.  
  
WHAM!  
  
On her way to the food, Sieka 'accidently' punched Tasuki in the gut. She smirked. "What you deserve always comes your way sooner or later...." she said as she walked by. "Did I forget to say that I can fight?"  
"That didn't hurt ya fuckin' brat!" Tasuki yelled.  
Seika ignored him. ::Ya know, the reason you don't like him is because his personality is so similar to yours. Likes repel....oh well.:: Seika sat down between Chichiri and Nuriko. She helped herself to what little food there was left, as Hurricane Miaka had already hit.  
At the exact same time, Seika and Chichiri reached for the same piece of bread. "Gomen nasai. You have it." Seika said.  
Chichiri shook his head. He picked it up and placed it in her hand. "You have it, no da. I'm not really that hungry anyway, na no da."  
Before she could argue that he should have it, Chichiri had gotten up and walked away.  
Nuriko smirked. "You're blushing."  
Seika barely heard him. She was staring at the piece of bread, and his voice sounded distant. She finally realized what he had said. "What? Blushing.....? No, I-I've just got a bit of a sunburn....that's all Nuriko-san...." she answered.  
Nuriko shrugged. "Whatever you say Seika. And you don't have to use -san all the time, just call me Nuriko or use -chan."  
''Um, okay...." she said uncertainly. "Um, I know! Can I call ya Nuri-chan?" she asked. She giggled. "I think it sounds cute."  
Nuriko laughed. "Sure, Nuri-chan is fine." [sweatdrop]  
Seika didn't hear what he had said, as she had shoved the whole piece of bread into her mouth instead of listening to him. "Whaf wuv fhat, Nuwi-chaa??" she asked with her mouth full.  
[sweatdrop] "Nothing Seika, nothing...."  
  
Meanwhile, Chichiri sat in another part of the field smiling to himself. ::t's a beautiful day...:: he thought for no reason in particular. ::A very beautiful day.....::  
  
  
* * *  
  
Nightfall neared, and they still hadn't reached the next village. Nuriko shook his head. "I don't understand it....We should have been there by now....."  
Seika patted him on the shoulder. "Daijobu, Nuri-chan. It's impossible to be correct all the time, ne? Perhaps we should set up camp and spend the night here? It's getting dark...."  
"No, let's keep walking, there's nowhere suitable for a camp around here." Nuriko told her.  
Miaka nodded. "It can't be far now, ne?"  
They were still walking when the sun sank over the low rolling hills. Suddenly, Miaka heard something. It was a beautiful melody.....the sound of a flute....?   
"Ne," she asked ".....does anyone else hear that music?"  
Tasuki shrugged. "I didn't hear anything."  
"Me either." Nuriko said.   
Mitsukake shook his head and Seika just shrugged and looked at Miaka inquisitively.  
Tamahome smiled at her. "You must just be hungry and your mind is playing tricks on you, ne?"  
Miaka nodded. She could barely see everyone in the dim light.  
"Da! Look, there's the village, no da!" Chichiri announced. It was true, the sparkling lights that signaled some sort of life lie just ahead of them. Within the hour they had reached the town.  
When they reached the nearest vacant inn, there was only limited space, so Sieka and Miaka ended up sharing a room.   
"Well, let's get some sleep!" Miaka said cheerfully.  
Everyone nodded in agreement.  
"Tomorrow, we'll look around town and see if Chiriko's here. We'll stay tomorrow night, and the next day we're off again."  
Everyone went to their respective rooms. Sieka had given the bed to Miaka, and was lying on the floor under two thin blankets. They were both silent for a long while, until finally Seika spoke.  
"You really are in love with Tamahome, aren't you?" she said as she stared at the roof.  
Miaka blushed. "Hai....he's everything to me....."  
Seika nodded. "You're very lucky, you know, to find love so young. I can tell how much he loves you too....the way he holds you and looks at you.....he's deeply in love with you too." she was silent for a moment. "I can't say I know the feeling though." Seika shrugged. She turned over under her covers so her back faced Miaka. "Well, oyasumi nasai, Miko-sama."  
Miaka was about to say something, but decided not to. She lay in her bed thinking about what Seika had said, occasionally glancing at her unmoving figure on the ground. Eventually Miaka drifted off to sleep and dreamed sweet dreams of her koibito, Tamahome.   
  
* * *  
  
".......ka.......Miaka, it's time to get up." came a soft voice somewhere far away from her.   
Miaka slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. Seika was standing above her, already fully dressed. Morning sunlight filtered in through the open shutters. Miaka sat up, yawned, and stretched. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Seika-chan."  
"Ohayo Miko-sama. Your clothes are on the chair over there, I'm going down to breakfast with the others. Ja matta!"   
Miaka laid back down for a minute and closed her eyes. She heard Seika's footsteps, which were slightly uneven due to her limp, echo through the room, and then the sound of door creaking as it opened, and then close again.  
Miaka sat up and stretched, then got up and walked over to where clothes sat on the chair. She couldn't help but smile. Her clothes were neatly folded, her hair ribbons sat on top of her shirt, and her shoes were underneath the chair. Attached to her clothes was a note that read:  
Good morning Miko-sama.   
If you leave your pajamas on the chair,  
I will wash them for you later today.  
Anything else you need washed you may leave here too.  
  
-Seika  
  
Miaka changed and left her pajamas and a few other things where her school fuku had been. She folded the note up and placed it in her pocket. She left the room and walked down to where everyone sat around a table.  
"G'mornin!" Tasuki yelled cheerfully. "Ya hungry Miaka, there's lotsa food!"  
Miaka smiled. "Do you really need to ask if I'm hungry?"  
Miaka sat down to breakfast with the others, and an hour later they were all outside. "Okay, let's go minna, if we get near where Chiriko is, Taitsu-kun's mirror will show us. C'mon, lets go!!!"   
They passed the day going through the town, and somewhere around lunch they ended up split up. Miaka was with Tamahome and Mitsukake, while Seika, Chichiri, Tasuki and Nuriko had gotten lost somewhere in the crowded market.   
Miaka finally stopped and realized she was missing three seishi and a tsukebito. "Ne, minna wa doko?" she asked.  
"We lost them about 15 minutes ago." Mitsukake commented.   
"Oh.....really....?" Miaka asked. Mitsukake and Tamahome nodded. Miaka took out the mirror and consulted it again. Nothing..... ~Grrrrrr...stupid thing....~ Suddenly Miaka heard it. It was the melody.....the flute music from the night before..... "Do you hear it!?" Miaka exclaimed excitedly. "There it is!" Miaka took off into the crowded market place without another word to either of them.  
"Matte! What are you talking about, Miaka?" Tamahome called as he dashed into the crowd after her. "Where are you going!?"  
Miaka followed the faint sweet melody of the flute music as she ran through the marketplace. She couldn't even hear the sound of the people in the crowd, all she could hear was the music....  
The sound grew louder and finally, she came to a place in the market where people were gathered around in a cirlcle. Miaka pushed her way trough to the front.  
In the centre of the circle sat a young boy playing a flute. He had sandy-blond hair, and his eyes were closed in concentration. The rest of the world seemed to be melting away as he played. All the people listening were completly silent.   
Tamahome and Mitsukake finally caught up and found Miaka in the crowd. "Miaka, what are you--" Tamahome started, but was abruptly cut off when several people 'shhhh-ed' him. Tamahome was about to get angy, but suddenly, the emotion seemed to disappear. Tamahome felt as if he was in a trance as he listned to the music.  
The boy stopped playing and put down the flute. A few people put some money where the boy was sitting before they left, and the crowd soon disappeared. The boy was collecting his things to leave when Miaka walked up to him.  
"A-ano, sumimasen.....?"  
He looked up at her. "Hai?" he asked.  
"Well, I was just wondering....that music....."  
He smiled. "I have a special talent with music. It made you feel calm, ne?"  
"Hai. You're very good." she said.   
The boy picked up the change from where he had been sitting and was about to leave when he dropped some.   
"Let me get that for you." Miaka offered. The boy didn't hear her, and bent down to pick it up himself. Then Miaka spotted something on the top of his hand....a red mark, slightly blurred....and then she realize what it was. "You-you're a Suzaku Seishi!!!!! She exclaimed loudly.  
The boy looked up at her. "Hai, the one called Chiriko." he said, looking puzzled.  
Miaka threw her arms around him happily, then withdrew and apologized. "Gomen, Chiriko. My name is Yuuki Miaka, I'm Suzaku no Miko." ::Now I can finally call Suzaku and get Yui-chan back....:: She thought. ::Finally, we can be friends again....::  
  
* * *  
  
Tasuki came over to the cart where Nuriko, Chichiri, and Seika were standing. Chomping on the snack he had bought from one of the various food stalls, he leaned over Nuriko's shoulder. "Watcha lookin' at?" he asked.  
Nuriko and Seika ignored him. "What do you think of this one?" Nuriko asked Seika.  
"Hm....I dunno....I kinda like this one better." said, pointing to a necklace with a shiny black stone.  
Chichiri sweatdropped. "You would, wouldn't you, no da?" then he turned to Tasuki. "They want to buy a necklace for Miaka, na no da."  
Tasuki raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we supposed to be looking for Chiriko?"  
Chichiri glacnced at Tasuki. "You're one to talk. You're the one who went to that food cart, no da. We were just waiting for you when they got distracted, no da." he said, pointing at Nuriko and Seika.  
"It's rude to point, Chichiri." Seika said without even glancing upward as she studied the necklace Nuriko liked a bit closer.   
o.O "Da...how....how did you...." a li'l sd Chichiri stammered.  
Seika merely shrugged. "How many of this one do you have?" Seika asked, addressing the man at the stall, pointing to one of the necklaces on the black fabric.  
The particular necklace she had selected was consisted of a black leather chord and a lovely red stone.  
The merchant pulled out a cloth from the back of the stall. He unfolded the cloth revealing 10 necklaces exactly the same as the one on display. "How many do you wish to purchase?" he asked her.  
"I'll take nine." she replied.  
Sieka's three companions looked at her. "What're ya doin ya crazy brat!?" Tasuki exclaimed.  
"Are you sure...?" The merchant asked.  
"Of course." Seika replied calmly as she emptied the contents of her purse. "Is that enough?" she asked.  
The merchant quickly added up the coins. "Hai, that's the right amount." he said. He removed one neclace from the cloth, then folded it back up and handed the package to her. "There you are miss, have a nice day."  
Seika smiled. "Hai, I will." she said walking away from the stall.  
Nuriko, Tasuki, and Chichiri ran up behind her. "Hm. Maybe we should find Miaka..."  
"What was that all about!?" Nuriko exclaimed.  
Seika looked puzzled. "What was what about?"  
"Wha d'ya think, ahou! Wha'd ya buy NINE necklaces for."  
"Good luck." she replied. "You see, there's one Miko, seven seishi, and then there's one for myself. These will bring all of us good luck." Seika unfolded the cloth and handed one to Nuriko, Tasuki, and Chichiri.  
"Thanks...but don't think it means I like ya, just cause I thanked ya." Tasuki grumbled as he fastened the clip in the back.  
Seika waved a finger at him. "Now Tasuki....Who said I liked you in the first place? It'd just be really mean if I got a present for everyone but you."  
"Brat..."  
"Arigato!" Nuriko exclaimed excitedly as he put his on.  
Chichiri studied the stone. It was smooth and perfect. The color was astonishing and it was polished so that he could see his own reflection in it, however distored it was....  
Seika's heart dropped when Chichiri didn't put his on or even get a thank you. Even Tasuki had shown he was grateful. "Don't you like it Chichiri?" she asked, a note of disapointment in her voice.  
Chichiri looked up at Seika. She looked upset. "Arigato gozaimasu, no da." he told her. "Gomen nasai. I was just admiring your excellent taste." he said as he put it on in a an attempt to make her smile. It worked better than he had expected.   
Seika brightend immeadiatly and threw her arms around Chichiri. "Glad ya like it." she said happily.  
Chichiri was so surprised that he nearly lost his balance and got knocked over. This was the first time she had hugged him since she had mistaken him for her friend, and it at least seemed a little less akward. He hugged her back, for lack of anything else to do. "Here, let me help you do yours up, no da..." Chichiri offered.  
"Sure." Seika replied. She took her own necklace from the cloth and handed it to Chichiri. He moved her hair out of the way, and did up the clasp for her. "There, no da." he said.   
"Arigato." Seika smiled. "C'mon minna, let's go find Miaka, Tamahome, and Mitsukake."  
As the others kept walking, Nuriko stood and watched. He shook his head. "They like each other and they know it....baka-chans....." A mischievious smile played across Nuriko's face. "They just need a little help...."  
  
* * *  
  
By dinner, everyone had met the new seishi, Chiriko. Everyone was very pleased and relieved. After the calling of Suzaku, everyone could return to their normal lives.   
Seika pulled the cloth out of her pocket. "I almost forgot," she said as she unfolded it. "When we were in the market today, I bought necklaces for everyone, as good luck." she said as she handed one to Chiriko, Mitsukake, Tamahome and Miaka. "One for Miko-sama, one for each seishi, and one for myself." she explained.  
"Sugoiiiiiii!" Miaka exclaimed. "Wai! Arigato Seika-chan!!!!" she said as she grabbed Seika in a death-grip hug.  
Seika laughed. "I'm glad you like it Miko-sama."  
"My name's Miaka, not Miko. You don't have to call me Miko-sama all the time!"  
"Er.....okay, but Miaka......?"  
"Hai?"  
"I can't breathe........"  
Miaka looked at Seika, who's face was now turning rather blue. [sweatdrop] "Oops....gomen nasai, Seika...." she said, letting go.  
When Nuriko was sure Seika was distracted, he walked over to where Chichiri was sitting and pulled out the chair beside him. "Komban wa, Chichiri-chan."  
"Komban wa Nuriko, no da." Chichiri replied.  
"Chichiri, I come with a message from an angel for you."  
"Tenshi, no da....?" Chichiri asked, visibly confused.  
"Hai, tenshi." Nuriko said. "Seika wants you to meet her in the garden down the street an 9 o'clock tonight." he said with a smile.  
"Huh? Why would she want to meet me at 9 o'clock in the garden, no da?" he asked.  
Nuriko shrugged and flashed a secretive smile. "You figure it out." With that he walked away and sat where he had previously been sitting. "Phase one complete." he muttered.  
  
* * *  
  
Seika was walking down the hall towards her room. A hand tapped her hard on the shoulder. "Itaaaaaaaiiiiiiii!" she wailed as she spun around. "Nurikoooooo! What're ya tryin' to doooooo? Dislocate my shoulder?"  
Nuriko sweatdropped. "I only tapped you lightly....."  
@_@ "Well try extra-light next time....."  
"Er....anyway....I came to tell you something."  
"Huh...? What is it?" she asked.  
"Um.....now what was it? Oh, yes...Chichiri wishes to meet you in the garden down the street from the inn at 9 o'clock."  
Seika blushed a faint rose. "Chichiri......want's to meet me in the garden....Wh-why does he want to see me....?" she said as her cheeks went even redder.  
Nuriko shrugged. "Who knows, but it's nearly 9 o'clock, Seika-chan."  
Her eyes widened. "Oh, you're right! It's almost nine!" Seika started running down the hall. She paused and looked back at Nuriko. "Arigato, Nuri-chan!"   
Nuriko smiled. "I've done more for you than you think, Seika."  
  
* * *  
  
Seika sat on the bridge that streched across the pond. Her feet dangled over the edge as she watched the Koi swimming in the water below. They were barely visable, but their scales picked up on what little light there was. In her hand she held a flower she had picked. She absent mindedly picked the petals off of it and watched as they floated down to rest upon the water's surface. ::Just like me.:: She thought. ::Randomly floating through life, no particular direction....and when I land, I never have any solid ground to stand on.::   
Suddenly she heard footsteps on the bridge. She turned around to see Chichiri. This time she blushed even more than she had when Nuriko had told her to come here to meet him. "K-komban wa Chichiri."  
"Er.....komban wa Seika, no da...." he said.  
".....Nuriko said you wanted to talk to me about something." she said, looking at down at the pond.  
"Huh? But Nuriko said you wanted to see me, no da." Chichiri said.  
Seika suddenly looked up. Part of her was disapointed that Chichiri hadn't invited her on his own, but part of her was relieved. At least she could look him straight in the eyes now. "I think a certain cross-dresser is trying to play matchmaker." Seika said. She glanced over to the wall that surounded the garden, and sure enough, there was Nuriko, trying not to be seen. "And there he is...." Seika said.   
"Oh." Chichiri said. "Well....I suppose we should go back to the inn then, no da...."  
A playful smile crossed Seika's face. "I have a better idea. Let's put on a little act for our good friend Nuriko....We can act like his plan suceeded, and then tomorrow, when Nuriko asks, we can just say that one of us never showed up, and he'll think he's going crazy! And he'll deserve it for setting this up too..."  
Chichiri couldn't help smiling. "Why not, no da." Chichiri said. He took her hands and helped her to her feet.   
Seika smiled. "Arigato."   
He held her hand as they walked - slowly, to cater to Seika's limp - around the garden and talked, deliberatly going by Nuriko's wall twice. As they walked by Nuriko, Chichiri would pick flowers for Seika, or whisper something to her. Eventually, they sat down on the grass and gazed at the stars.  
"Oh, Chichiri, this is so romantic...." she said loudly.  
"Hai, no da. I couldn't imagne spending this night without you. I enjoy being with someone who matches it's beauty, na no da."  
Seika blushed at that. "You're so sweet..." she replied.  
A few times they did that, but most of the the time they were quiet enough that Nuriko couldn't hear them, and just talked and joked. At one point, Chichiri took off his mask.   
It was the first time Seika had seen him without the mask. She looked at the massive scar for a moment, then looked away. It was rude to stare. She could only wonder how he had gotten it. Though somehow, she found herself thinking that it made him look....very attractive....  
Chichiri noticed that Seika was avoiding eye-contact with him. "If it makes you uncomfortable, no da, I can put the mask back on."  
Seika laughed. "Gomen. It's just that if I keep looking at you, I might actually fall for ya. Now I know why you wear the mask; if you didn't you'd be mobbed by females everywhere you went."   
Chichiri's cheeks flushed red. "When you compliment people, you compliment well, no da." he said with a laugh.  
An hour passed and then another, and the two just kept on talking. Their conversation was filled with laughter, and Chichiri found that he was happier than he had been in a long time. Seika was great company, and always managed to say just the right thing at the right time. And it seemed that the more they sat, the less it became an act.  
Seika shivered slightly in the cold night air. Chichiri took off his kesa and wrapped it around her. He smiled. "You would be cold with what you're wearing, no da." he commented as she pulled it tightly around her body.  
"Hai...I know." she said smiling at him. "Arigato."   
By this time, Seika and Chichiri were sitting close together. Chichiri had his arm around her and her head was leaning against his shoulder.  
Seika was lost in her thoughts.......she was beyond happiness, and couldn't believe that she wasn't dreaming. She was lost somewhere halfway between her real feelings and acting. "It's cold." she said. "Maybe we should go inside."  
"Hai, it is a bit chilly, no da." Chichiri agreed as he stood up. He held out his hand to help her to her feet.  
Seika took it gladly, and forced herself to her feet, still clutching the edges of the kesa with one hand. For a moment she just stood there staring into his dark brown eye.  
Chichiri didn't know what made him do it. Everything seemed to freeze for a moment, and in that moment, he noticed every detail that made her beautiful. The silver moonlight on her hair, her beautiful brown eyes, her blushing cheeks, and the hairpin....It's beauty was outdone by her own.....  
He didn't even think about what he was doing. One second he had been a foot away from her, and the next, he found himself kissing her, with his arms wrapped around her slender waist. Seika put her arms around him, letting the kesa fall to the ground. It had been a long time since he had held anyone this way, let alone kiss someone. Her lips were soft and warm.....they tasted sweet.....like honey.....  
Seika was surprised at first, but it soon faded. Everything around her became a blur. Kissing him felt wonderful.... She felt a strange sensation......it seemed to start in her heart and ripple throughout the rest of her body. She didn't even realize she had dropped the kesa, his body was so warm....When he stopped kissing her, she felt herself collapse into his chest. It felt as if her entire body had gone numb, and her knees refused to hold her weight. Chichiri embraced her tighter to prevent her from falling.   
Seika tried to pull herself together....this was just acting, it didn't mean anything....but if she was acting, then what was that feeling?   
"Chichiri....." she whispered softly into his chest. She felt his hand lightly caressing her hair.  
"What is it, no da?" he asked.  
  
* * *  
  
"Miko's tsukebito and one of her seishi, Chichiri, stood in the garden, embracing each other in the moonlight...." Kesike paused and shook his head. "Just what this story needs.....another couple.....Miko's tsukebito suddenly came back to reality....." Keiske continued aloud as he read 'The Four Gods Sky and Earth' in the dim light of the Library's Important Documents room.  
  
* * *  
  
Seika was suddenly pulled out of her dream-like state without warning, and realized just what was happening. She pulled away from him. "I-Iie, nanimo desu." she smiled and winked at him. "I'm a pretty good actress, ne?" she yawned. "Well, I'm going back to the inn. Oyasumi nasai, Chichiri." she lowered her voice. "And remember, tomorrow, none of this happened. It'll drive Nuriko insane." Seika turned and left the garden. She just caught a glimpse of Nuriko as he ran around the corner to the inn. ::Baka.:: she told herself. ::A guy you like just kissed you, and you.....you.....You're just an idiot...::   
Chichiri stood alone in the garden. He sighed. "So that's how it is? It was all just an act, no da?" he asked aloud as he put his mask back on. He picked up the kesa and studied it for a moment. He shook his head. "Tenshi, ne Nuriko? It was foolish to kiss her anyway, na no da." he said to himself with a sigh. "You knew she was acting, no da." he told himself. Chichiri left the garden and went back to the inn.   
  
* * *  
  
Seika crept down the hallway past the room as quietly as possible. Suddenly a door to her right burst open. Seika was so scared she tripped and hit the wall, then she realized who it was. Tasuki was standing there in his pajamas pointing his tessen at her face.   
Seika flattened herself against the wall. "Er....komban wa Tasuki-chan...."  
"Oh. It's you. What're ya doin walkin around in the hall this late?" he asked suspiciously.  
"Er...you see......bathroom! Yeah, I had to get up and go to the bathroom!"  
Tasuki raised an eyebrow. "And you were sleepin in yer clothes, ne?" he asked. "And why're you still pressed againt the damn wall!?" Seika pointed to his tessen. He looked down at it. "What, this?" he said with a grin. He recalled that she had kept her distance from it when he was fooling around with it in the field two days before. "So, what's wrong with the tessen?"  
Seika's eyes moved from from him to the tessen. "K-kowaii desu....."  
Tasuki chuckled. "Heh. Now I know how to shut ya up. Go to bed." he commanded.  
Seika nodded obediantly, and limped down the hall as fast as she could to her room. She opened the door and peeked in. Miaka was asleep. She quickly changed into her pajamas and slipped into her make-shift bed on the floor.  
"Seika...?" came Miaka's voice.  
Seika's eyes widened. "Gomen ne, Miaka.....I thought you were asleep." she said as she sweatdropped.  
"Seika, where were you?" she asked as she leaned over the edge of the bed.  
"I wasn't kissing anyone!" she exclaimed, panicing. ".....I mean.....Nowhere!"  
"Kissing!? Kissing who? Tell me!" Miaka yelled excitedly.  
Seika turned bright red. "No one! No one!"  
"Alright then....you're my tsukebito, ne?" Miaka asked her.  
"Hai....."  
"And you're supposed to do whatever I ask you to do, ne?"  
Seika could see where this was headed. "....Hai...."  
^-^ "So tell me who you kissed!" she said.   
"It......it was Chichiri." she confessed.  
"Chichiri? Really? Awwwww! That's so cuuuute!"  
"You don't get it....we were acting."  
"Huh?" Miaka asked. "What do you mean, 'acting'?"  
"Nuriko set us up, and he was watching, so we decided to play a little joke on him. Tomorrow, whatever happened tonight didn't happen."  
"Oh...." Miaka said, not fully grasping the concept.  
Seika yawned. "Good night Miaka."   
"Good night....."  
  
* * *  
  
Miaka got up the next morning and walked down the hall. She stopped at a door and knocked on it. No answer came. "Tamahome?" she asked. "Tamahome, it's Miaka."  
No answer. "Tamahome?" she asked worriedly. "Please open up, we need to leave soon." Miaka tried the doorknob. The baka was probably still asleep. The door wouldn't budge. "That's odd. Nuriiiiiiiikooooooo!!!!!!" Miaka called. "Nuriko, I need your help with something!"   
Nuriko walked up behind her. "Hai Miaka?"  
"Nuriko, I need you open Tamahome's door for me. It's stuck and Tamahome's not answering."  
"No problem Miaka." Nuriko grabbed the doorknob, and with no effort at all, pulled it off it's hinges."  
Miaka peeked into the room. It was empty, except for a note on his pillow. Miaka picked it up, but couldn't read the complex characters. "Nuriko, what does it say?" she asked curiously as she handed the note to him.  
Nuriko studied it for a moment. He looked up at Miaka sympathetically. "Tamahome's gone."  
  
  
  
Finding my way back to sanity again....  
Dont wanna really know what I'm gonna do when I get there...  
Take a breath and hold on tight.....  
Spin 'round one more time.....  
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace....  
  
'Cause I am hanging on every word you say....  
And even if you dont wanna speak tonight, that's all right, all right with me....  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside heavens door....  
And listen to you breathing, that's where I wanna be...yeah.....  
  
Where I wanna be......  
  
Lyrics: Breathing by Lifehouse 


	3. Unsure Love

There's something about the look in your eyes.....  
Something I noticed when the light was just right.....  
It reminded me twice that I was alive.....  
And it reminded me you are so worth the fight.....  
  
Your biggest fear will be the rescue of you.....  
Strange how it turns out that way, yeah.....  
  
Could you show me, dear.....  
Something I'm not seeing....  
Something infinately interesting.....  
  
Lyrics: Echo by Incubus  
  
  
  
Nuriko looked up at Miaka. "Tamahome's gone." he told her.  
Miaka laughed. "Y-you're joking, ne Nuriko? Ne?" She was laughing, but her voice shook as she spoke.  
Nuriko shook his head. "I'm afraid not Miaka. He went to Kutou."  
"N-nan des de!? Why is he in Kutou???" she asked worriedly.  
Nuriko took the note and read it aloud.  
  
  
"Dear Miaka,  
I'm sorry, but I have to go.  
I have no choice, the soldiers  
from Kutou said they'd attack my  
village if I didn't go with them.  
Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.  
Go back to the palace, I'll come back   
as soon as I can.   
Wo ai ni, Miaka.  
Tamahome"  
  
  
Miaka's hands trembled. "T-Tamahome.....TAMAHOME!!!" she cried. Miaka fell to her knees. Tears rolled down her face. "I-I was so close....Yui-chan and I....could have been friends again, and....and I could be with Tamahome......why.....?"  
Seika had been going to her room to get Miaka when she heard her voice a little further down the hall. She sounded upset. Seika rushed down the hall to the room with the door that had been pulled off it's hinges. She peeked in and saw Miaka on her knees, crying.   
Miaka felt lost. It felt as if time had slowed to a crawl, and she was trapped in slow motion. Each tear that rolled off her cheek fell a million miles until it hit the floor with a great splash.  
Seika hurried to her side and kneeled down beside her. "Miaka, what's wrong?!" she asked.   
"Ta-Tamahome went to Kutou." she sobbed. "He could be killed...I'll never see him again, I won't be able to call Suzaku, and Yui-chan'll hate me forever..."  
"Hey, calm down." Seika said in a soothing voice. "It'll be okay. You'll see....everything'll be just fine...." she said as she wiped the tears from Miaka's face. "C'mon, you're Suzaku no Miko, remember? There's an entire country who believes in you. You can't give up just because of a small bump in the road. But of that entire country, no one believes in you more than me or the Seishi. I trust you Miaka. I have to, we all have to. Without Suzaku no Miko, there's no hope. Not for Konan, or Yui, or anyone."  
"She's right." Nuriko said firmly. "You can do anything you set your mind to Miaka! We believe in you."  
Miaka had stopped crying for the moment. She stared at the ground. ::That's right....an entire country....And Hotohori...He believes in me more than anyone....probably even more than I believe in myself....I can't let him down! I can't give up and let everyone down, I can't! And Yui....She's Seiryuu no Miko now.... I'll get her and Tamahome back, and then I'll call Suzaku! No matter what the cost.....:: Miaka slowly stood up, her legs shook a bit. "I'm fine...." she said. "Let's go back....Hotohori's waiting...."  
  
* * *  
  
Seika walked down the path, kicking up the dirt with her good leg as she went. What a grand day this was. Miaka was upset, they were missing a Seishi, ......and Chichiri was avoiding her. Or at least that's how it seemed to her.   
Nuriko walked up to Seika with a smirk on his face. "So, wha'd Chichiri want?" he asked her.  
Seika turned to him. "Oh...he never showed up." she said dismissively. "And Nuriko....why are you looking at me like that....?" she said regarding the rather interesting expression on his face.  
"Demo.....demo.....demo....demo......"  
"What? Is there something wrong Nuriko?"  
"C'mon, you can tell me what happend."   
"Nothing happened. He didn't show."  
"Yes he DID! He HAD to!"  
"No, he didn't. What can I tell you if he never showed up?"  
"But I SAW you two in the garden!!! You kissed!" he blurted out in his frustration.  
She laughed. "Kissed? I have no idea what you're talking about...you must of been dreaming, Nuri-chan." she said airily. "Or maybe it was some one else...."  
Fine. If she was going to deny it, he'd talk to Chichiri. HE wouldn't lie about it. "Ne Chichiri....so, did Seika tell you what she wanted to talk to you about?"  
"Hm? Oh, she didn't show up, no da. I waited for 15 minutes."  
"What!?" Nuriko asked. "But she said you didn't show up!"  
Chichiri shrugged. "We must've just missed each other, no da."   
"But now you're lying too!!!!! You were BOTH there!"   
"Would I lie to you Nuriko, no da?"   
"Obviously, because that's exactly what you're doing...." he grumbled.  
"You certainly do have a wild imagination, na no da....."  
Sieka suddenly felt something clinging to her arm. She looked down to find an SD Nuriko with a death-grip on her arm. Seika sweatdropped. "Itaaaaiiiiii! Nuriko, that hurts! GET_OFF_ME!!!!" She yelled going SD herself and waving her arms about frantically. "Let go let go let go let go let go let go let go let go let go let go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
p "Not until you tell me the truth!" he growled determinedly.  
"The truth? About what!? Nothing happened, baka! Now get oooooofffffff!!!!!"  
  
* * *  
  
Yui was in her room when a knock came on the door. "Who is it?" she inquired.  
"Yui-sama, it's Nakago." came the voice behind the door.  
"You may enter." she said.  
Nakago opened the door and walked into Yui's room. "Yui, I have a present for you." he said, smirking.  
Yui looked at the blond-haired, blue-eyed shogun. "A present?" she asked, curious.  
"Yes, if you'll come with me...." he said gesturing to the door.   
Yui followed him, but she wasn't prepared for his 'present'. There were six soldiers in all, and they had Tamahome. His hand were tied behind his back, and he looked as if he had been mistreated; he had a large purple bruise on his cheek, and there were tears in his clothing. "Release him this instant!" she cried.  
They did as she said without questioning her. She rushed to Tamahome, and undid the rope that bound his hands. "Daijobou?" she asked him concernedly.  
Tamahome nodded and forced a smile. "I'm fine, arigato Yui."  
Yui turned and glared at the soldiers. "Leave us! All of you!" she said harshly. The room cleared, and only Yui and Tamahome were left. "What did they do to you?" she asked as her expression and voice softened.  
"I'm fine." Tamahome reassured her. "They were angry because I put up a fight until they threatened to attack my village. Once they had me tied up, the cowards took advantage of the fact that I couldn't fight back."  
"I'll make sure you're treated a guest, not a prisoner. Come, we'll find you some clothes, those ones are a mess...."  
"Arigato, Yui-chan......"  
  
Later that night, another knock came on the door of Yui's room. "Enter." she said, not caring who it was.  
Nakago came in.  
"Yes?" Yui asked expectantly.  
"Yui-sama, you have a visitor. He wishes to see you." he told her.  
"Yes, he may enter." she replied.  
A boy walked in. He looked like he was about the same age as Tamahome, but she couldn't be sure; his face was shadowed because of the lighting in the room.   
"Seiryuu no Miko," he said, adressing her. "I was sent here to you because of a dream." he took a step forward and kneeled down in front of her. "I am Seiryuu no Miko's tsukebito. I'm here to help you with what ever you need and to do you're bidding until such time that you call the God, Seiryuu, I can not return home until then. Please accept my services."  
Yui looked down at the boy kneeling by her feet. He had black hair that spiked wildly in all directions, and he was dressed in black clothing. He had brilliant green eyes. His face was still shadowed, but they shone like gems in the darkness. His eyes were fierce and passionate, but behind that, they also seemed pained. After thinking about what he had said for a few moments, Yui spoke. "Very well. I will call for you when I have need of you. You are dismissed." she said turning away from him.  
The boy bowed respectfully and left the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Another night, another inn, in another small town. According to Nuriko, there was at least one more full day of walking ahead of them.   
Sieka lie awake in her bed. She couldn't sleep. She restlessly shifted to a different position, which turned out to be even less comfortable than the first. Try as she might, she couldn't even close her eyes. She sat up and sighed. She got out of bed and put her clothes back on.   
Seika slowly crept to the door. She opened it and looked down the hallway. It was empty and silent, just as it should be at this time of night. She quietly crept down the stairs, went down to the bar and took a seat.   
She ordered her drink and the bartender handed her a glass. She glanced around and noticed that Chichiri was sitting at the end of the bar. Chichiri noticed her at the same time. They both pretended to be interested in their drinks.  
Seika ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "What're you doing here Chichiri?" she asked.  
Chichiri shrugged. "I couldn't sleep, no da."   
"Neither could I. Look, Chichiri..." she blushed and looked back down at her glass. "You're not angry with me, are you?"  
"Angry with you, no da? No...." he replied, half lying. He wasn't exactly *angry*....  
"Oh, well...I thought....never mind. I'm sorry Chichiri."   
"Sorry for what, no da?" he asked.  
"Well, last night....I should've left it. We should have just gone back to the inn. Demo...." she sighed. "I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."  
Chichiri smiled. "You're not an idiot, no da. There was no damage done, and we had fun, ne? And we were acting, so it doesn't matter, no da."  
Seika smiled too. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I must admit, the kiss was a nice touch, I didn't even think of that. It's got Nuriko going crazy. 'But you were there! You kissed!'" she said, imitating Nuriko. "And we did have a lot of fun last night, didn't we?"  
Chichiri nodded. "Hai, no da!"  
Seika smirked. "There's only one thing I didn't lie about."  
"What's that no da?" he asked.  
"The mask! I swear, if you didn't wear it, females would be clawing at you left and right!!!! You'd be ripped apart!" she joked.  
They both laughed. The two talked for a while longer, finished their drinks, and Chichiri walked Seika back to her room.  
Seika hugged him. "Glad you're not angry with me. I thought I was kind of a bitch last night and today. Well, G'night Chichiri."  
Chichiri laughed. "You were not, no da. Good night Seika." He said as he turned to leave.   
Seika dissapeared into her room and Chichiri walked down the hall to his own room. This wasn't so bad, being friends with Seika......It was probably better this way.  
Seika closed the door, and quickly lit a candle. The room was bathed in a dull golden light. She breathed a sigh of relief. So he wasn't mad at her. Her clothing fell in a heap at her feet, and she grabbed her pajamas from their place on the bed. She put her pajamas back on, picked up her clothes, folded them and placed them on the nightstand. The light flickered across the room as she streched. She bent over, blew out the candle and crawled into bed.  
  
* * *  
  
Chichiri opened his eye. The figure of someone was standing over him. He sat up in bed. It was her.......his former fiance....he blinked...  
She spoke. "Houjin..." she whispered. "Ai shiteru....."   
It'd been a long time since anyone had called him by his real name.... He stared at her, her lips formed a loving smile. "Kouran....?"  
She took a step closer. "Sssh..." she said. She placed a hand on his cheek, while she reached into her robes for something. "Houjin, I'll love you until the day I die."   
Chichiri pulled away. Something was wrong, her expression had changed drastically.   
"Or at least until the day you do." Chichiri barely had time to react. He saw what she had pulled from her robes: a knife. It happened quickly. The dagger plunged deep into his chest, and then withdrew.   
Chichiri clucthed his chest as the blood covered his hands. Then he saw that there was someone else in the room, in the shadows. "Ta-tasukete...." he pleaded.   
The figure stepped into the light, Kouran moved to his side. It was Hikou, his childhood friend. He smirked. "Always getting yourself into trouble, ne Houjin?"  
"H-Hikou....."   
"You let go, Houjin, and I drowned. It was YOUR fault. And now you need my help. How ironic."  
"Hikou... I-I didn't mean to let go!" Chichiri said as tears of emotional and pysical pain streamed down his face. "I never ment to let go....I didn't want to lose my best friend....I didn't want it to happen that way....I'm sorry." the tears fell onto the red-stained bankets. "I was a child, I let my anger get the best of me....."  
Chichiri had had this dream before. He didn't have it very often anymore, but he had had it many times. But there was something different about it this time....there was one more person in the shadows.  
Chichiri winced at the pain in his chest. "Who's there!?" he asked. "Please! Tasukete!"  
The figure stepped forward into the light. Chichiri recognized the person immeadiatly, and couldn't believe it. She walked to the edge of the bed, and kneeled down. She pulled Chichiri's hands away from his chest, and placed her hands on his wound.  
To Chichiri's amazement, at her touch, the flow of blood began to slow, and then, eventually, stopped all together. The wound wasn't completly healed and the pain was still great, but it had stopped gushing blood, and the pain was less then it had been. He looked at her. "Seika....?" he asked in a raspy, disbelieveing voice.  
Seika smiled and nodded, and held his hand, while she ran the other through his hair.  
His former fiancee, Kouran smiled at them. "Houjin, we never ment to hurt you." she stated, refering to Hikou and herself. "Just as you didn't mean to let go of Hikou, no matter how mad you were. We know it was an accident. Please, forget about us, and continue with your life. Please be happy, Houjin."  
The dream had never come this far before. Usually Kouran and Hikou had watched him as he bled, uneffected, until he woke up. But now they were slowly fading into the background. "Wait! Hikou! Kouran!" he shouted. "I don't want to forget you! Don't leave!"  
"Houjin, you were a good friend. I know you didn't mean to do what you did, we all did things we regret. I forgive you, Houjin. You don't have to forget us, but don't let us stop you from being happy. I know you loved Kouran, and still do, but I love her too. I'm sorry. And I think you have feelings for the girl at your side. More than you know."  
The two were still fading, and within a few seconds, they were gone.  
Chichiri looked back at Seika, who was still at his side. She stared intently into his good eye. She smiled at him, and then....she went SD.  
^-^ "Waaaaaaiiiii! I didn't think it would work, but it did! You feelin better Chichiri?"  
Chichiri sweatdropped. "Hai, Seika no da....."   
  
* * *  
  
Chichiri sat up in bed and looked around. The empty room was filtered with the early morning sunlight. He streched and yawned before putting his mask on. ::Strange dream.....:: he thought to himself. He paused for a moment. "But it would be just like that baka to ruin a serious moment.....I shouldn't be thinking like that anyway, no da, we're friends......" he said aloud to himself as he got dressed.  
He gathered his things and left the room. As he was walking down the hall, he passed Nuriko, who seemed to be in a hurry. "Ne, Chichiri, can you do me a favor?" he asked, near panic.  
"Sure, no da." he replied. "What do you need, Nuriko?"  
"Could you please go wake Seika up? We need to leave soon, and I still need to wake Miaka and Tasuki up!" he said, frusterated.  
"No problem, no da!" Chichiri said as the both went in opposite directions. Chichiri stopped in front of Seika's door, and was about to knock when-  
"BAKAAAA!" came a yell from inside the room.  
Chichiri jumped. Was she awake? He knocked on the door. "Seika...? Seika, Chichiri desu, no da...."  
A growl came from inside. "Michiko, I swear to god I'll kill you.....you dumb assed hentai! ........"  
Chichiri sighed. "You're asleep, ne?" he opened the door and walked in.  
"Shaddup Yoshiomo! It's not funny, stop laughing!....I'll kick your ass too!"  
Her SD figure lie underneath the covers. She made a punching motion with her right fist and scowled. "Coward....."  
Chichiri laughed, then walked over to her and shook her shoulder. "Seika? Seika, wake up, no da."  
"YOSHIOMO, YOU BASTARD!!!" she exclaimed as she sat up. Before she knew what she was doing, and before Chichiri knew what was happening, Seika had punched him in the face. Seika sweatdropped. o.O "Chi-Chichiri? How did Yoshiomo turn into you!?"  
"Itaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiii! You're too strong for your own good, no da...." an SD Chichiri whined. "I thought Yoshiomo was your friend....why would you punch your friend like that? Itai desu!"  
"A-ano.....I usually punch him harder actually....kinda like, 'the more I hurt ya, the more I really love ya'. I have a strange way of showing my affection for my friends...." she said, laughing nervously.  
"Really? I didn't notice, no da...." Chichiri replied with a note of sarcasm.  
Seika smirked. "oooOOOooo, there's a side I haven't seen of you before; sarcasm. What other emotions do you have hiding there? It's impossible to be happy all the time...."  
"You'll see them if I choose to show them, no da." Chichiri sighed. "But you need to get ready to go, we want to make it by nightfall, no da."   
Seika streched. "Hai, hai...."   
Chichiri grabbed her wrist. If he hadn't been wearing the mask, his good eye would've been wide with shock. "Seika.....Seika why is there blood on your hand, no da?" he asked.   
"Hm?" she asked, ignoring his nearly paniced tone. She looked at her hand, her plam had a small blood stain on it. "Oh, I must have cut myself or something last night....nothing to get worried about." she said casually.  
".......Hai, no da."   
Seika picked her clothes up, turned around and blushed. "Ano....Chichiri? Would you mind...you know, leaving? I need to get changed."  
Chichiri blushed. "Oh...gomen nasai, no da!" he said as he left.  
  
* * *  
  
By nightfall, they had reached the city, as Nuriko had predicted. They walked through the city and finally reached the palace. Seika looked up at it in awe. Why would the seishi Hotohori be here? She shrugged and followed the others.  
Finally, they came to a room, which Seika realized was the throne room. She realized that Miaka must be reporting into the emperor, she was, after all, the miko of his country.  
They filed in, and kneeled. Except for Miaka. Seika glanced up nervously at her, but not daring to say anything. ::Kneel baka! Kneel!:: she silently pleaded with Miaka.  
The emperor stood and began to approach Miaka. Miaka ran up to him and hugged him. Seika couldn't believe her eyes.  
The emperor laughed. "I'm glad to see you've been well, Miaka."   
Miaka nodded. "Hai! You too! See, I've gathered the Seishi! That's Tasuki, and that's Mitsukake, and that's Chiriko! They're great, ne??"  
"Hai, that's wonderful." he said studying the group. "But where's Tamahome? And who is that girl with you?" he asked with an expression of utter confusion.  
Miaka looked at the ground. "Tamahome....went to Kutou. They threatened to attack his village, and, fearing for his family, he went with them to Kutou."  
"I see.....but, the girl, why is she with you?"  
"Oh, that's Seika, she's my tsukebito, and was sent to help me by a dream."  
Seika nodded. "Technically, I am Suzaku no Chuubuko*. I am here to help Suzaku no Miko until the time when she calls Suzaku."   
The emperor nodded. "Well, it is an honor to meet you, Suzaku no Chuubuko. I am the emperor of Konan, as well as the Suzaku Shichi Seishi, Hotohori ."  
Looks of surprise crossed Tasuki, Mitsukake, and Chiriko's faces. The last seishi was the emperor!? Seika nearly fell over. Hotohori looked at her inquzzitively.  
"Are.....you alright?" he asked.  
"Hai......I'm fine...." an SD Seika replied sweatdropping. "Just fine...."  
  
*Author's Note: Chuubuko means faithful servant, Suzaku no Chuubuko meaning 'Faithful Servant of Suzaku'. I also forgot to mention that 'tsukebito' means 'assistant', so Seika is Suzaku Miko's Assistant. Bleh...I'm so dumb...  
  
* * *  
  
Seika slid the door open and left her quarters. She looked around the vast expanse of the palace grounds. The sun, a bright golden disc, slowly crept into hiding, everything in the distance; the trees, the mountains, the city, looked black against the orange sky. Seika held her breath. She'd never seen a sight so beautiful in her life; it was simply amazing. She couldn't think of any other way to describe it. She looked out across the scene with a troubled expression on her face, deep in thought. She jumped as a voice spoke from behind her.  
"It's beautiful, ne?"   
Seika turned around to find herself face to face with the emperor. Seika bowed clumsily. "Gomen nasai, Hotohori-sama, I didn't see you coming."  
"It's alright. I didn't mean to startle you."  
"You can startle anyone you want, I suppose." she said with a shrug as she went back to staring. "I'm sorry, I'm kind of rude at times..." she apologized for her previous comment.  
Hotohori leaned on the rail too. "Daijobu, you're probably not used to the formality of courtly life."   
"You're right though....it is beautiful...." Seika replied distantly.  
Hotohori sighed. "I've seen it a hundred times before. After a while, it's all the same...."  
"I know what that's like. Day after day, the same routine. Before I was sent to help Suzaku no Miko my life was like that. Nothing new, just the same as it always is." she shrugged. "But such is life, ne?" Seika couldn't believe what she was doing. She was making small talk with the emperor of Konan. How stupid she must sound to him....  
Hotohori smiled. "Exactly. Most people think being an emperor would be the greatest thing in the world, but it isn't. It's like being stuck in the same day forever, but you get older. Some days are better and some are worse, but in the end, it all seems to be the same as it was yesterday."  
Seika suddenly remembered the ninth necklace; it was Hotohori's. He'd probably laugh at her, it couldn't even compare to the beauty of the emperor's ritches. Regardless, she reached into her pocket and grabbed the cloth.   
Hotohori glanced at it. "What is that?" he asked curiously.  
Seika unfolded it to reveal the last necklace. She held it up. "This is for you. I bought one for myself, the Miko, and all the Seishi, for good luck. I suppose to you this looks really pathetic...." She said looking at the ground.   
Hotohori smiled and took the necklace. "Not at all. It's a very nice necklace." He said as he put it on.  
"Well, I'm glad you like it. I think I'm going to go to bed now. Nice to meet you, Hotohori." She said as she turned to walk away.  
"Meet? You met me earlier today...." Hotohori said, confused.  
Seika paused for a moment and looked back at him. "Nope. Earlier today I met the emperor. Just now I met who he really is. Good night!"  
"Good night." he replied as she walked away.   
  
* * *  
  
"The Seishi Hotohori looked out over the courtyard before turning and walking in the opposite direction of Suzaku no Chuubuko." Keisuke read from The Four Gods Sky and Earth.   
  
* * *  
  
Seika lie in her bed, awake and troubled. She was worried about Yoshiomo, Michiko, and her family. She wondered if they were safe and happy at home. Another thought crept in and out of her mind. Chichiri. Had the kiss ment something? He had said himself he was acting, but deep down she hoped he was lying. With Chichiri she couldn't quite tell, he hid behind a mask, a false smile. She was confused, she didn't even know her feelings for Chichiri. Her thoughts drifted to Miaka, who was extremly upset over Tamahome's absence. But she was like Chichiri, hiding behind a false smile....Eventually, Seika fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
  
  
Finding my way back to sanity again....  
Dont wanna really know what I'm gonna do when I get there...  
Take a breath and hold on tight.....  
Spin 'round one more time.....  
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace....  
  
'Cause I am hanging on every word you say....  
And even if you dont wanna speak tonight, that's all right, all right with me....  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside heavens door....  
And listen to you breathing, that's where I wanna be...yeah.....  
  
Where I wanna be......  
  
Lyrics: Breathing by Lifehouse 


	4. Torn Dreams

There's something about the look in your eyes.....  
Something I noticed when the light was just right.....  
It reminded me twice that I was alive.....  
And it reminded me you are so worth the fight.....  
  
Your biggest fear will be the rescue of you.....  
Strange how it turns out that way, yeah.....  
  
Could you show me, dear.....  
Something I'm not seeing....  
Something infinately interesting.....  
  
Lyrics: Echo by Incubus  
  
  
  
In the middle of the night, Seika woke up to hear noises outside her room. She got out of her bed, slipped on a silk house coat, and slid open the door. Miaka was sitting a few feet away curled up in a ball, sobbing loudly.   
The wood was cold on her feet as Seika made her way over to where Miaka was sitting. She crouched down. "Miaka? Miaka, daijobu?"  
Miaka shook her head, her breaths were quick and short as the tears cascaded to the ground.   
"What's wrong?"   
"T-Tama-Tamahome....he-he was here."  
Seika frowned. "Here? What do you mean?"  
"He was here...and he came to me and said that-that he loved me. Then he-he said g-goodbye and that I'd never see him again. I-I tried to follow him, but he ran too fast.....that way..." she said pointing down the corridor.  
Seika looked at her sympathetically. "Oh, honey, you were sleepwalking, it was a bad dream. C'mon now, let me help you up." Seika said comfortingly, as if speaking to a child afraid of a monster under the bed.  
Miaka nodded and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her pajamas. "Usually my bad dreams are about having no food..." she sniffled.  
Seika smiled at her. "Yeah, I bet this one kinda scared you huh?" She held out her hand to Miaka. Seika was experienced with this sort of thing, having a little brother and two little sisters.   
As Seika helped Miaka to her feet, another door slid open. The fanged red head stepped out, tessen in hand. "What's goin on out here?" he narrowed his eyes and glared suspiciously upon seeing Seika. "Why the hell ain't the two of ya asleep?"  
Seika sighed. "Tasuki, I don't have time to argue with you. Miaka had a nightmare. Would you please take her back to her room for me? And quit pointing that damn monstrosity at me." she said, reffering to the tessen.  
"Hn. The little brat wants me to do her a favor? What do I get?" he said, sliding the tessen into it's holster and turning his back to her.  
Seika had tried to be nice, but he sent her off the edge. "Look, asshole don't do it for me, do it for the Miko you're supposedly protecting. And if you don't, I'll rip your heart out, show it to you before you die, and then shove it down your throat, okay? I'd tell you the rest of what I'd do to you, but I don't wanna upset the Miko anymore than she already is." she said severely.  
"Fine!" he agreed quickly. "What's yer fuckin' problem onna? Just remember, this ain't a favor, and ya better not expect it again."  
Seika massaged her temples. "Tasuki, I don't care. I don't want to hear it. Just shut up, take her to her room, and make sure she goes to sleep." she turned to Miaka and smiled. "Good night Miaka. I'm sure you'll have a pleasent sleep with a nice dream." she said softly. "I'll see you in the morning, ne?"  
Miaka nodded and smiled. "Hai, good night." she replied as Tasuki led her down the corridor towards her room.  
Seika sighed as she entered her room and shut the door. She took off the house coat and threw it to the ground, too tired and stressed to even fold it as she usually did. She flopped down on her bed and crawled under her covers.   
She shook her head. Having to deal with Miaka just now had reminded her how much she actually missed her family; her mother, her grandfather, her older brother, and her three younger siblings. She was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. Before long, she had slipped into a deep sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Yui walked aimlessly through the many halls of the palace. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. She curiously explored, making her way from one empty room to the next. Normally she would have seen Nakago by now, but he was nowhere to be found. Tamahome was sleeping peacefully in his room; Yui had checked on him earlier.  
She moved into another room, where a candle was burning brightly. She was surprised to find that she was not alone, there was another person awake, sitting in the room.  
Her tsukebito, the boy with the bright green eyes, looked up at her and smiled, it was the first time she had seen a non-serious expression on his face. "Good evening Yui-sama." he said cheerfully.  
Yui scowled. "What are you doing awake at this hour of the night?"  
He stood and stretched, he towered over her by at least a few inches. "Well, I could ask you the same thing, ne? Ah, but I couldn't sleep, so I was cleaning my bow." He said pointing to the weapon on the table beside where he was sitting.  
"I see...." Yui said, studying his appearance. He looked much more presentable than he had when she had met him yesterday. His wild black hair was pulled back neatly, and it looked as if his clothes had been washed.   
When he was happy, she noticed, his eyes seemed to burn more brightly than ever.   
He bent down to pick up his bow. "Don't be so serious Miko-sama! Trust me, you look much nicer without the scowl. If you're not careful, you'll end up as boring and serious as the rest of this palace...." he joked.  
He seemed to have a good personality, one of those people you couldn't help but like. Yui found herself smiling, something she hadn't done in quite a long while.  
The boy smiled and nodded. "There you go! That's a good start!"  
"You certainly are an interesting tsukebito." she told him.   
"Why thank you my dear Miko-sama. My only wish is to serve you." he said playfully and took a bow. "But seriously, If I'm going to serve you, you might as well be happy, ne?"  
Yui studied his smiling face. "So, why weren't you like this yesterday? You were 'serious and boring', as you put it."  
"Introductions, my dear Miko-sama, introductions. When I met Nakago he was so serious, I decided it would be safest to be serious also. And so I also decided it best to keep it up, at least until I met the Miko. Which is you." he smiled as her.  
"I know who I am." Yui stated simply as she gave him a blank stare.  
"And apparantly, I don't." he grinned widely at her. "So, tell me Miko-sama who are you?"   
Yui smiled at his sudden interest and was about to speak when another voice cut her off.   
Nakago stood in the doorway. "Yui-sama, you should be in bed, asleep."  
Yui returned to her normal self in an instant. "I can take care of myself Nakago."  
"It didn't seem that way when I found you....." he replied.  
Yui ran out of the room as fast as her legs would allow her. He had to bring it up again, didn't he? She didn't want to think about it anymore. She ran into her room, tears welling up in her eyes.  
Nakago entered moments later, she'd left the door open. "Yui-sama, I'm sorry." he told her. "But I know what's best for you, try to understand that. If I hadn't saved you at that time, you may not be here at all. Everything I do is in your best interests, please get some rest. Good night Yui-sama."  
"H-hai.....good night Nakago...."  
  
Seiryuu no Chuubuko wandered the halls, attempting to find the way back to his quarters. He was somewhat angry, why would one of the Seishi deliberately upset Seiryuu no Miko, just when she was happy? He was also curious....curious as to what could upset Yui that much....  
  
* * *  
  
Seika woke up the next morning, it was dreary and grey outside, and she could hear the constant pounding of raindrops on the roof.  
She got dressed and folded up the house coat she'd left on the ground.   
The door of Seika's room slid open. "Good morning, Seika, no da." Chichiri said with a smile.  
"For some people, I suppose...." she replied turning away from him. "Don't you knock?" she asked irately.  
Chichiri paused. Her voice was so...cold....Seika was usually a warm and caring person. "What's wrong, no da?" he asked concernedly.  
She shook her head. "Nothing...it's nothing....It's just that...never mind...."  
"What is it, no da?"  
She sighed. "I'm just homesick, Chichiri. That's all.....It's stupid. I'm just being selfish..." she said as she wiped her eyes.  
He walked over to her and saw that her cheeks were tear stained. He put a comforting arm around her. "It's okay Seika, no da." he tried to reassure her. "Once Tamahome returns, the Miko can call Suzaku, and then you can go home to your family, na no da."  
"You don't understand Chichiri!" she yelled at him. She was extremely upset, and her voice shook as she spoke. "I'm sorry...." she said softly. "I didn't mean to yell, but..." She collapsed into Chichiri's arms, any attempt she had made at holding back her tears had failed miserably. "I haven't seen them in months....they probably think I ran away because I don't love them any more or...." she paused. "...or that I'm dead." she finished. She began crying harder than ever.  
"Why would they think that, no da?" he asked hesitantly.  
"When I had the dream, I was told that I must set out immediately. So I did. It wasn't my choice."  
"You left without telling them, no da?" he asked in shock.  
She nodded. "H-hai. I didn't want to go....I didn't want to hurt them....demo..." Seika couldn't finish. The only sounds were the constant pounding rain and her muffled sobs.  
Chichiri patted her back, attempting to calm and comfort her. His voice became more serious. "I know how you feel. I've lost ones I loved too, but you can at least return to yours...C'mon Seika....maybe being around the others will cheer you up."  
Seika nodded and wiped her eyes again. She took a deep breath. "I'll be fine." she sighed and smiled. "I'll just act as if nothing's wrong...I've done it before, I can do it now."  
  
* * *  
  
Seika tried to be as cheerful as possible while around Miaka and the others, as it stood, Chichiri was the only one who knew she was upset at all, the others didn't even suspect it.   
Within a few hours, she had nearly forgotten about the incident that morning, and had returned to her regular genki self.   
When she had stopped worrying about her own problems, she noticed that Miaka was rather unhappy. She was doing the same thing Seika was. She was making a good effort at being her normal self, but you could see it in her eyes. Not having Tamahome around was tearing her up inside.  
Seika slipped away to talk to Hotohori about it. She bowed when she entered the chamber he was currently sitting. "With your permission, I'd like to go to Kutou, your majesty." she told him.  
Hotohori tilted his head. "On your own?" he inquired.  
Seika nodded. "If I must, then I will. I don't know if the others would like to come, but I need to go to Kutou. For Miaka."  
"For Miaka? Did she ask you to?"  
"No, I'm going on my own accord. I'm going to get Tamahome back for her, whether the others help, or I do it on my own." she said deteminedly.  
Hotohori shook his head. "You aren't a Suzaku Seishi, I can't allow you to go alone." he told her.  
She looked at him rebelliously. Hotohori could tell she felt defeated, she was just too proud to show it. She was about to leave, but he stopped her.  
"I'll arrange for a few of the seishi to accompany you there." he offered.  
She flashed him a quick smile. "Domo arigato Hotohori!" she exclaimed.  
"You're welcome Seika." he replied. He turned to one of his attendants. "Bring Tasuki and Chichiri to me. And the Miko, she should know what's going on as well."   
The attendant nodded obidiently and set off in search of the three said people.  
  
* * *  
  
Chichiri entered the chamber Hotohori was sitting in. "You called for us, no da?" he asked referring to himself, Miaka, and Tasuki, who had entered only moments after him.  
The emperor nodded. "Hai. Chichiri, Tasuki, you will be accompanying Seika to Kutou."  
Seika gave the victory sign from where she was standing at the corner of the room and smiled.....then she turned to glare at Tasuki, who was making ridiculous faces at her.  
Miaka and Chichiri looked at Hotohori with confused expressions on their faces, while Tasuki continued to silently taunt Seika.  
"Your task it to get Tamahome and bring him back here, to Konan." Hotohori explained.  
Miaka's eyes lit up. "Y-you're bringing him back!? Thank you Hotohori!"   
He shook his head. "Don't thank me, Miaka. It was Seika's idea, she was very worried about you, she was willing to go alone."  
Miaka turned to Seika, speechless. "A-arigato...." she managed to say.  
Seika smiled. "No problem, Miko-sama. No more nightmares, ne?"  
"Hai...." Miaka said with a smile.   
"Waitaminit, there is no fuckin' way I'm voluntarily goin' anywhere that little brat!"  
Seika flashed him an innocent smile. "Then we'll just have to take you involuntarily, bastard." she replied. She stuck her tongue out at the red-haired seishi. "You don't have a choice in the matter!" a gleeful SD Seika taunted.  
Tasuki glared resentfully at Seika, who smiled happily back at him. "Stupid warugaki-onna...." he grumbled.  
"Brat-woman????" Seika asked, outraged. "I'll show you 'Brat Woman', you jerk!!!" Seika charged at him angrily.   
Tasuki smirked and pulled out the tessen.  
Seika stopped dead in her tracks. "GET THAT THING AWAY FROM MEEEE!!!!" she cried in a panic.  
"I'll go." Tasuki stated. "You'd just better stay out of my damn way."  
She crossed her arms. "Fine asshole." she replied bitterly. "You'd just better stay out of mine."  
Hotohori smiled. "You'll be leaving tomorrow evening, that'll give you time to tell Tamahome you're coming."  
Miaka had been silent for a long while. "I'm going too." She said suddenly. Everyone turned to her.  
"What? But Miaka..." Seika began.  
"I-I want to go with you." she said "You're going because of me. I'm coming too."  
The emperor nodded solemnly. "Hai." He could prevent Seika from going if he chose to do so, but the Miko was another story.  
Seika sighed. "Then it's settled. We'll leave...tommorow evening? Any objections?"  
Hotohori nodded his head. "That's best. You will be transported there by Chichiri's magic, if that's all right with him. No sense in walking, if you go that way, you may be detected days before you even arrive." He glanced at the monk to confirm the method of transport.  
Chichiri nodded. "Hai, that should be fine."  
"You are dismissed." Hotohori said to everyone.   
They all filed out of the room.  
Tasuki sighed. "Great. I get to be stuck on a friggin' rescue mission with you. Dammit! Why does everythin' bad happen to me!?"  
"Hmph. I know a lot of men would love to be stuck somewhere with me."  
Tasuki chuckled. "Yeah, desperate ones."  
Chichiri snapped, tired of listening to the two of them argue. "Leave her alone, no da! You've given her nothing but a hard time since she got here!"  
"But I-she-It's not MY fault!" Tasuki spluttered. "Whad're ya blowin' up on me for? It's the girl that-waitaminit..." a sly grin crossed his face. "I get it now! You like her, don't ya 'Chiri!? That's what it is! That's why yer stickin up fer her!" Tasuki faked feeling betrayed. "So this is what I get ne? After bein' yer buddy, ya dump me for the first pretty face that crosses yer path! I'm so hurt!"  
Chichiri blushed a bit. "I don't *like* her, no da...." he mumbled.  
"Oh shove it Tasuki. Chichiri is my friend. Friends stick up for each other, simple as that. Heh, waitaminit. YOU JUST ADMITED THAT YOU THINK I'M PRETTY! You gave me a compliment! WAH HA HA HAH HA HA HA!!! You admit that I am beautiful!!!!" Seika cried with glee.  
"I NEVER SAID THAT ONNA! I TAKE IT BACK!" Tasuki yelled back at her.  
Seika went SD and danced around his feet. "Baka! Baka! If you never said that, then how can you take it back? Baka!! You admit it! You admit it!" she teased happily.  
"THAT'S IT!" Tasuki went SD and grabbed his tessen. "No mercy, even if ya are a girl! YER A DAMNED ANNOYING GIRL!!!!!"   
"Piiiiiida! You can't catch me!!!!" she said as she took off into the palace courtyard.  
"Ya wanna fuckin' bet??" Tasuki replied as he ran after her.  
Chichiri and Miaka just stared at the two rampaging SD figures in complete bewilderment. "A-ano....."  
  
* * *  
  
Keisuke sighed. "The miko, her tsukebito, and two of her seishi prepared to go into enemy territory, Kutou, to retrieve the Suzaku Shichi Seishi, Tamahome." Keisuke shook his head. "Imouto, if you get hurt, I'll kill you myself....."  
  
  
  
Finding my way back to sanity again....  
Dont wanna really know what I'm gonna do when I get there...  
Take a breath and hold on tight.....  
Spin 'round one more time.....  
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace....  
  
'Cause I am hanging on every word you say....  
And even if you dont wanna speak tonight, that's all right, all right with me....  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside heavens door....  
And listen to you breathing, that's where I wanna be...yeah.....  
  
Where I wanna be...... 


	5. Unexpected Events

There's something about the look in your eyes.....  
Something I noticed when the light was just right.....  
It reminded me twice that I was alive.....  
And it reminded me you are so worth the fight.....  
  
Your biggest fear will be the rescue of you.....  
Strange how it turns out that way, yeah.....  
  
Could you show me, dear.....  
Something I'm not seeing....  
Something infinately interesting.....  
  
Lyrics: Echo by Incubus  
  
  
  
Seika giggled silently as she hid in one of the many flowering bushes on the palace grounds. She peered out through the leaves to see where Tasuki was. She snickered. He was looking around madly, tessen in hand, cursing loudly. "Dumb ass..." she muttered under her breath.  
"Baka!" Tasuki yelled in frustration as he flamed a nearby bush. "Come out and fight like the little boy you are Seika!"  
Seika fumed and came out of her hiding place. She stormed up to him, fists clenched. Stopping behind him, she swiftly smacked him upside the head. "Can't you learn to be at least a little bit pleasant!? Ugh! For the last time, I *am not* a little boy! You stupid bastard!" By this time she had grabbed Tasuki's tessen from him, punctuating each word by repeatedly smacking him with it. "You. Need. To. Learn. To. Respect. Others! You dirty bandit!!!!"  
"Oi! What're ya doin' onna!?" Tasuki spluttered. "Gimmie my tessen back! OW! Stop it! FUCK, THAT HURTS!"  
"No kidding asshole, it *is* a metal fan! Wha'd you expect? That it'd tickle?"  
Tasuki frowned. "No! Ow! Jus' stop it! Dammit woman!!!!!!"  
THWAP!  
"Hn. I hope you get a friggin' bruise. Jerk."  
"I'M A JERK!? YER TH' ONE THAT'S HITTIN' ME WITH A FRIGGIN' METAL FAN!!!!!" Tasuki protested.  
Seika shrugged indifferently. "So? You deserved it." she said handing it back to him. "Just keep this monstrosity away from me, okay?" she said calmly with a smile.  
Tasuki's eye began to twitch. "K-keep it away from ya? Is that what ya jus' said? I'LL FLAME YA TO HELL AND BACK ONNA!!!!!!"  
By this time Miaka and Chichiri had caught up with them and were just watching the scene. The two were acting like brother and sister.  
Seika stuck out her tongue at him and ran behind Chichiri. Only her head was visible from behind him. ^-^v "No ya won't, cause 'Chiri'll protect me!"  
"Yeah, run to yer boyfriend, ya coward." Tasuki mumbled.  
Seika's face felt hot. She could only imagine how red her face was. "He. Is. Not. My. Boyfriend." she said through clenched teeth.  
Chichiri's face had gone rather red too. "....She's *not* my girlfriend, no da. And it's very rude of you to go around saying that, Tasuki, no da!"  
Miaka could only stifle her laughter. Seika and Chichiri looked like a pair of tomatoes because of how much they were blushing....Miaka recalled that Seika had told her she had kissed Chichiri....obviously the feelings were there, otherwise they wouldn't be blushing so much.....but speaking of tomatoes....Miaka remembered that she was rather hungry, and it was past when she usually ate her supper..... "Neeeeee, is anyone else hungry???" she asked in her usual genki fashion.  
"Ooo! I am!" Seika said, glad to change the subject.   
^_^ "Kaaaaay, let's go eat dinner then!" Miaka suggested.  
^_^ "Yaaaay!" Seika shouted happily.  
"Hai, no da!" Chichiri agreed.  
"Whatever...." Tasuki grumbled, as usual.  
Seika stuck out her tongue and smaped him while still clinging to one of Chichiri's arms. "You're too grumpy! You need a nap!" she told him.  
"Bandits don't take naps, dammit! And you have a real problem with hittin' people! Knock it off already, will ya!?"  
Seika pretended to think for a moment. "Hmmmmm....NO!" she said as she broke into a fit of giggles.  
Tasuki rolled his eyes. "...Women...." he muttered. "Ne, I thought you two weren't together...." he said glancing at Seika and Chichiri.  
The two of them went red again. "WE'RE NOT!" they both yelled at the same time.  
Tasuki sweatdropped. "Okay, I believe ya already....."  
  
* * *  
  
Seika sat between Nuriko and Chichiri at dinner, and across from Miaka. Everyone sweatdropped as Miaka and Seika were in constant competition for food.   
"Those are MY dumplings Miaka!!!" Seika growled from across the table.  
"I'm the miko! I say you should let me have them!"  
"You're abusing your power! If I were miko, I wouldn't abuse my power like that!"  
"Well, you're not the miko, and I am! A hungry miko, by the way!"  
"GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!" Both of them glared at each other as they growled.  
"A-ano....here's an idea...." Chiriko peeped. "Why don't you share the dumplings?"  
Miaka and Seika both turned to the youngest, flute playing seishi. "YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!!!!" they yelled at him.  
o.O "Eeep...." Chiriko managed to squeak.  
Nuriko sighed. "Seika, how do you ever expect to find a husband when you have manners like THAT?"  
Seika stopped arguing with Miaka long enough for her to snatch away the remaining dumplings. "Huh?"  
"Husband. As in married? You need to act more lady like."  
"What's the rush?" she asked. "I'm not finished being a kid yet...."  
"Seika, you're sixteen. You need to find yourself a good man to settle down with sooner or later. Probably shortly after the miko returns to her world."  
"No I don't. I'm not getting married." she told him.  
Everyone around the table went silent and looked at her for a few moments.  
"Why not?" Nuriko asked. "It'd be a waste of such a potentially beautiful bride."  
Seika lowered her voice, imitating a man. "'Woman, go fetch me some water. Woman, go to the market. Woman, the children are crying. Woman, feed the animals. Woman, where's dinner? Woman. Woman. Woman.' Sorry, Nuri-chan, that's not how I plan on spending the rest of my life."  
Chichiri poked the food on his plate. "Not all men are like that, no da."  
Tasuki snickered. "Of course you'd be the one to mention that..." he whispered so only Chichiri could hear him.  
Chichiri went slightly pink, and back handed the loud-mouthed bandit. "Keep your mouth shut when you have no clue what you're talking about, no da." he mumbled.  
Nuriko nodded. "Yeah, that'll only happen if you marry Tasuki."  
Tasuki and Seika glared resentfully at each other, and Tasuki made a disgusted face at the suggestion. "That will never happen." Seika reassured Nuriko.  
"Yeah, who'd wanna marry a shrew like her anyway?" Tasuki growled.  
"Aw, don't be mean." Miaka broke in. "Tasuki isn't that bad. And not all men are like that Seika. Take Tamahome for instance. He'd never say all that stuff to any woman."  
Seika shrugged. "Maybe, but knowing my luck with guys, I'll probably end up with some real jerk."  
"Don't you want to get married and start your own family after this is all over?" Nuriko asked.  
Seika hesitated. "...I wan't to return to my own family first. My little sister, Kitsune....I'd rather look after her than start my own family. She's only three years old, you know...."  
"Awwwww! Kawaii! I wish I had a younger sister!"  
Seika smiled. "I have two. Dosha is five."  
Nuriko gave her an 'I know what I'm talking about' look. "Still, you need to get married sooner or later...."  
"Later!" Seika cried cheerfully.  
Nuriko sweatdropped. "That's not what I meant...."  
"Nope, but it is what you said..."  
Nuriko sighed. "You are one exasperating young woman."  
^-^ "And you are one VERY insistent young crossdresser." she replied.  
Nuriko turned and smacked her lightly. "Hush."  
"OW! CAN'T YOU REMEMBER THAT YOU'RE STRONGER THAN A NORMAL PERSON!? THAT FRIGGIN' HURTS!!!!!!!"  
"Hm. We'll have to work on your temper too...."  
"We won't work on anything! I don't need to get married! I don't *want* to!"  
"That's what you think."  
  
* * *   
  
Seika sat on a bridge over one of the ponds in the palace ground, once again finding herself staring at the fish. What carefree lives they must live, fish....Just swimming around all day, not worrying about anything except their next meal.... she sighed. Why were human lives so complicated...? Seika jumped as someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned around. "Huh?"  
It was Hotohori. He smiled. "Good evening Seika. I came to wish you luck tomorrow. Chichiri and Miaka have gone off to tell Tamahome that you're coming for him."  
Seika forced a smile. "Arigato Hotohori..."  
"You're still upset about what Nuriko said at supper?" He asked, reading her expression.   
"Yeah, a bit." she said, smiling at him. "How could ya tell?"  
Hotohori shrugged. He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's strange...we both want the exact opposite. I want to get married, and you want nothing to do with it."  
Seika laughed dryly. "A bit ironic, ne...?"  
"Don't worry about it too much..." He said, looking out over the palace grounds. "Nuriko may think you *should* get married, but he won't actually force you to go marry someone."  
She sighed. "I wish he'd just leave me alone and forget about it. I have bigger problems than getting older. So what if I don't marry."  
"He's just trying to be a friend. It's his way of showing he cares. He's worried about you, if you couldn't tell." Hotohori told her.  
Seika looked up at him. "Huh? What do you mean...?"  
"Seika, most women your age are already married, and if they aren't, they're looking for a husband." Hotohori smiled. "He's concerned, he just wants you to live normally as all other girls do. Perhaps he sees something in you that reminds him of his dead sister, and that's why he's doing it. Whatever the reason, Nuriko won't give up that easily."  
Seika smirked. "Great, just what I need, another older brother." Seika looked down to the rippling water. ::Poor guy....:: she thought inwardly. ::So that's what it is, he misses his younger sister.:: She looked back up at Hotohori. "I'm going back to my quarters, sleep well, ne?"  
Hotohori nodded. "Hai, I will. Oyasuminasai Seika."  
"Oyasuminasai." she replied as she stood up and walked away. "Tommorow's the big day...."  
  
* * *  
  
Yui ran down the hallway from Tamahome's room. He had promised he wouldn't try to escape, but she had just over heard a conversation between him and Miaka. Why was she always the one who got hurt? She attempted to wipe the tears from her eyes, but more replaced the ones she wiped away. Numbly she made her way in the rough direction of Nakago's quarters, not stopping until she blindly ran into something. She looked up, tears staining her perfect cheeks. No, it was someone. Seiryuu no Chuubuko stood there staring at her with an expression of deep concern upon his face.  
"Y-Yui-sama...?" he looked at her with those piercing green eyes of his. "Yui-sama, are you alright? What happened?"  
Yui looked away from him, her hands were trembling and her voice shook in her throat. "Nothing. I'm fine....you're dismissed." she began to walk away, but he had gotten a tight grip on her wrist.  
"That's a lie." he stated, his voice unreadable.  
"LET GO OF ME!" Yui yelled at him. "I'm the miko and I gave you an order, now obey me and let go!"  
"Tell me what's wrong and I will."  
She glared at him. "I can have you killed faster than you can blink."  
He looked at her knowingly. "You won't. From what I can tell, you're not that type of person." His eyes softened. "Now please, tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help..."  
His eyes were all it took, something about them just compelled her to tell him the truth. Perhaps it was the understanding she saw there....She half-fell into his arms, sobbing, and explained everything that had happened.  
While she spoke, he hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her as best he could. "Yui-sama...I know heart-break is tough...but there's other people who love you. Your friends. Your family..." he gently patted her back. "Besides, he's a man. All men are jerks sometimes...as much as I hate to admit it, I am not an exception to that."   
"But I love him....It's not fair! Why does Miaka always get her way!?"  
"It'll be all right. Things'll be fine, you'll see. I'll make sure nothing else like this happens...I know you feel hurt, but you will get over it. Give it time."   
He placed a hand under her chin and tilted it up so she was looking him straight in the eyes. They stared at each other, neither of them saying anything for a minute that seemed an eternity. Then he wrinkled his nose and made a face. "Besides, we both know you could do a lot better than Tamahome!" he said returning to his normal self.  
A smile pulled at the corners of Yui's mouth, though she was still crying. "And you say you're not an exception to all men being jerks..." she said, her voice painted with slight amusement. "You're a perfect gentleman..."  
He shrugged. "I said sometimes. C'mon," he offered kindly. "I'll escort you to go see Nakago."  
  
* * *  
  
The night passed in what seemed like only a few minutes, and the day was just the same. It was early afternoon by the time everyone had gotten organized. The entire group of Miko, Seishi, and Tsukebito gathered in a fair-sized room in the palace.   
Seika looked nervously from Chichiri to Tasuki, to Miaka. She suddenly had a bad feeling about entering the enemy territory, but she didn't want to say anything about it; it would break Miaka's heart.   
Nuriko smiled at Seika. "We'll work on training you to act like a lady upon your return." he said cheerily.  
Seika rolled her eyes, but sighed, giving into the inevitable. "Fine Nuriko, you can run me through your little training course, but I really do despise being used as a guinea pig."  
Chichiri shook his head. Seika was perfect the way she was in his eyes. Why Nuriko would want to change that was beyond him; she was already an angel. So she acted somewhat boyish at times; she was raised with an older brother. He unfastened the kesa and laid it on the ground. "Is everyone ready to go, no da?" he asked.  
"HAI!" the other three chorused.  
Chichiri nodded. "All right then, everyone step onto the kesa, na no da."  
Seika stepped onto the kesa with the others and smiled. "We'll be back soon, safe and sound with Tamahome." she said assuring everyone who was staying behind.  
Mitsukake nodded. "Be careful, don't hurt yourselves."  
"Try to be in and out of there as soon as possible." Hotohori told them.   
Chiriko was silent. He stared at the ground with his flute clutched tightly in his hands. "Good luck." he mumbled.  
"Arigato! We'll be careful!" she said as she waved. Seika barely noticed when they began teleporting, in the blink of an eye, the other 4 seishi has disappeared, and Seika found she couldn't quite focus on anything. As soon as it had started, she hid the ground with a thud.   
Miaka had of course landed on her face. "I-itaaaaaaiiiii...." she complained from a few feet away.  
Seika suddenly became painfully aware of something that was terribly amiss. Her eyebrow twitched furiously as she slowly looked down to face what she had suspected. Tasuki and Chichiri had both landed beside her, somehow both managing to have one hand on each of her breasts.  
Tasuki grumbled something unintelligible, and then noticed that the ground his hand was on seemed rather soft.... "What th' hell....?" he muttered, giving it a good squeeze. Suddenly his eyes grew wide with realization. "Oh fuck...."  
Seika's eyebrow twitched a bit more, though at this point she was still somewhat catatonic. "A....a....heh heh....a...ano..." she turned to face Chichiri, only to find that not only was the SD monk groping her, his face was nuzzled right up to her breast too.  
Had he not been wearing the mask, Chichiri would've been looking straight into her eyes, but he still managed to give her a pleading look.  
Seika glanced from one man to the other, then back again. "AIEEEEEEEEEEEE! ECCHI!!!!!!! GET AWAAAAAAAY!!!!!!" she screamed reverting into SD and running as fast as she could (at 1/3 her height).   
Tasuki's eye widened. "Be quiet!" he whispered harshly.  
SD Chichiri ran around in a mad panic trying to silence the frantic SD Seika. "Shhhhhh! You'll get us all killed no da!!!" he said returning to normal size with a hand clapped over the girl's mouth.   
Seika crossed her arms like a stubborn child. She had been violated, she had every right to be angry. "You two are dirty dirty perverts...." she spat icily.  
"They didn't mean it...." Miaka tried to comfort her.  
Seika sighed. "You're right Miaka...but I'm still not too pleased with them."  
"Tamahome asked me to meet him by a tree....a big one, with lots of fragrant flowers around it..." they set off across Kutou's palace grounds in search of the meeting place Miaka and Tamahome had set.  
  
* * *  
  
Tamahome dragged his feet heavily to Yui's quarters. He now knew the truth about why Yui had become the Miko of Seiryuu, it was to get back at Miaka...but he might as well ask her once more to come back to Konan with them, she knew about it anyway, and it would mean alot to his love, Miaka.  
He tapped on the door and waited for the voice within to answer.  
"Enter." Came Yui's cold voice.  
He slid the door open and entered. "I'm returning to Miaka." he stated. "I just thought I'd tell you. I'll ask you once more if you'd like to return to Konan with me."  
"How can you suggest that?!" Yui demanded. "How can I go back to the very person who betrayed me! Miaka broke my trust...I will not forgive her so easily!" tears of anger rather than sadness stung her face. "She must suffer the way I did....You aren't going back to her...she has to suffer...."   
While she had been speaking, her attendants had brought in what looked like burning incence. They all wore masks, though Tamahome hadn't noticed, while Yui covered her mouth and nose with the sleeve of her robes.  
Tamahome turned to leave. "You can't prevent me from returning to the one I love..." he was about to leave when the smoke took effect. Tamahome fell to his knees, paralyzed where he was on the ground.  
Yui walked over to him and kneeled in front of him. "I won't let the traitor I used to call my best friend win." She slipped the Kodoku drug into her mouth and slowly leaned forward to kiss Tamahome, forcing the small round object past his lips.   
Tamahome's eyes widened in surprise, and suddenly felt his eyelids growing heavier. He tried to fight it, but the drug over came him. Within seconds, he fell, unconsious into Yui's arms.  
Nakago stood in the doorway, watching in approval. He said nothing, but contiued to wear the chilling smile he always had.  
Seiryuu no Chuubuko walked in carrying a tray, and nearly dropped it upon surveying the entire scene. He didn't question anything, but walked into the room and set the tray down on the nearest table. "Y-Yui-sama, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you a snack.  
Yui smiled at him gratefully. "Arigato."  
He smiled back, still not certain of what was going on.  
Nakago looked at Yui. "The welcoming comittee has been prepared. Our guests await..."  
Yui looked back to her tsukebito. "I'm sorry, I'll have to eat this later. I have business to attend to. Be ready if I call you, I may need your assitance. Ja."  
He stared after her as she exited the room. "Ja...." he replied.  
He looked from Tamahome on the floor, to Nakago's icy blue eyes. "Go prepare your bow and arrows, you may need them." he ordered, rather than suggested. Seiryuu no Chubuuko exited the room as fast as he could, grateful Nakago had given him an excuse to leave. The aura around that man was so unpleasent, he didn't think he would have been able to stand him a moment longer....  
  
* * *  
  
Miaka rushed up to the tallest tree on the grounds. "This must be it!" she giggled happily. "This has to be the place Tamahome ment! He should be here very soon now!"  
Seika panted as she came over the crest of the hill leading up to the tree. "It'd better damn well be, or I'll kick that fucker's ass...." she muttered to herself. "Oi, Miaka, here's a little tip. Next time we go somewhere, and you have three companions, SLOW DOWN!"  
Miaka sweatdropped. "Gomen ne, Seika-chan....I got really excited..."  
"No kiddin'....." Tasuki grumbled as he and Chichiri caught up with the girls.  
Seika suddenly went ridgid and turned to face the bushes behind her. She scanned the area while her compainions stared at her. "Don't move." she said to them. She called into the bushes. "Who's there!?"   
Yui emerged, and soldiers closed in on them from all around. "Welcome to Kutou. Such a pleasure to see you Miaka." she said with a twisted grin on her face.  
Seika frowned. "Who are you?" she inquired of the girl with sandy blond hair. She was clad in the same uniform as Miaka was, she noticed.  
Yui chuckled. "Who am I? I am Hongo Yui, Seiryuu no Miko. Pity Miaka hasn't told you about me...exactly who are you?" she said with a hint of amusement. She turned to Miaka. "Have you replaced me so soon, you pathetic traitor?"  
Miaka silently shook her head with a hurt look pasted upon her face.  
"Taasu Seika." Seika growled. "Suzaku no Chuubuko. I'm no one's replacement, I'm simply here to do my duty to the Miko and go home."  
"How quaint. A girl. Seiryuu no Chuubuko is a boy, twice as strong as I suppose you are. I hope you don't have to fight him, it wouldn't be much of a fight."  
Seika flashed Yui a resentful look. "Don't underestimate your enemies Miko."  
Miaka watched as her tsukebito tried to defend the side of Suzaku against her best friend. She made up her mind. She ran to Yui. "Yui-chan! Please stop this!" She threw her arms around her former best friend. Once again Miaka found herself crying.  
Yui stumbled backwards abit, caught off gaurd by this. Eyes wide, she looked down at the sobbing mess that was Miaka. She quickly regained her composure and threw the other girl to the ground, smirking. "You still don't get it, do you? You can't just expect things to go smoothly every time you want them to. I can't forgive you for what you did to me, Yuuki Miaka. Gaurds, grab her." She said, turning her back.  
"Yui...." Miaka began through her tears.  
Seika and Tasuki had been lunging forward to help Miaka, when Chichiri grabbed them and transported them to another area of the courtyard.  
"WHAT'RE YA DOING!?" Tasuki screamed at him. "MIAKA WAS JUS' CAPTURED BY TH' ENEMY!!!!"  
"We can do more for her like this than we can behind bars, no da." Chichiri explained.  
"I feel like such a coward...." Seika lamented. She looked up at them. "You two go that way, I'll go this way. That way if I get caught, you two are still able to help, and vica verca." She got up and walked away.  
"Seika.....!" Chichiri called after her. "Seika, it's too dangerous, come back!!!" He realized there was no point because she wasn't listening and was almost out of hearing range anyway. She moved surprisingly fast.  
"Aw, stop worryin'. Seika's a tough kid...too tough if ya ask me, but hey, she ain't my problem...." Tasuki said in an attempt to comfort his friend. He'd decided to refrain from the boyfriend/girlfriend jokes for the moment. Tasuki paused a second as he walked in the direction Seika had told them to go. "Oi, d'ya have any idea of where we're goin' Chiri?"  
Chichiri sweatdropped. "Ano......"  
  
* * *  
  
Seika moved carefully thoughout the palace grounds. She wasn't quite sure where she was going, but she had a feeling she was moving in the direction Miaka was in. Without warning, she became aware of the feeling that she wasn't alone.  
Her breathing became heavier as she wildly looked around. "Who's there!?" she demanded. "What do you want?"  
A chuckle came from within the shadows. "And who, may I ask, want's to know? I was aware of you're presence, but I couldn't see you. I must thank you for giving your position away."  
"I'm Suzaku no Chuubuko. Come out and show me yer face, ya coward." she put a hand on the sword she'd taken from the palace in Konan.  
"Well, what a pleasure to meet you. I am Seiryuu no Chuubuko. I will come out of the shadows on the condition that you will too. Deal?" he said, amusment painting his vioce.   
"Fine." She snarled.   
"Alright. We will emerge from the shadows.....now."   
They both stepped into the light. The boy had his arrow aimed for a clean shot to her chest, but stopped and lowered it. He looked at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "S...Seika....?"  
Seika blinked, in shock. "Yoshiomo....." she stared blankly at him, not being able to do much else.   
  
  
  
Finding my way back to sanity again....  
Dont wanna really know what I'm gonna do when I get there...  
Take a breath and hold on tight.....  
Spin 'round one more time.....  
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace....  
  
'Cause I am hanging on every word you say....  
And even if you dont wanna speak tonight, that's all right, all right with me....  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside heavens door....  
And listen to you breathing, that's where I wanna be...yeah.....  
  
Where I wanna be......  
  
Lyrics: Breathing by Lifehouse 


End file.
